The apex
by Alex4top
Summary: On a trip back from an overseas excursion, Max Rockwell, a student from a private school, gets caught in a storm caused by an unnatural phenomenom and shipwrecks. Now stranded on a mysterious island filled with all sorts of monsters, he and his classmates will have to struggle in order to survive and to discover the secrets behind this new world they now live in.
1. The beginning

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"Look out! They're coming from above as well!"

"Keep shooting! Don't let them through!"

"Kyahhhh! ! !"

"He-Help Me! It's got my leg!"

In the middle of the night, a massacre broke loose. Bullets, explosions and fires echoing all around as one lone individual dressed in blue plates of armor and leather painted with tribal symbols ran away, dashing and pushing through the lush vegetation, leaving the sounds of gunshots and agonizing screams of despair of his colleagues behind him, growing weaker and weaker as he gained more distance, the rising smoke of the fires growing smaller and smaller.

His breathing was heavy, his legs felt numb, his back drenched in sweat, the terror on his face as visible as the stripes on a tiger, blood stains all over his garments and gushing out from the teeth marks on his right arm. Yet, there was no room in his mind for all of this right now. All he cared about was his own life, and keeping it intact.

He kept running and running, moving away the vegetation with his hand, searching for an exit, for a place to hide and bear through the night, but as he made a turn in the darkness, his eyes failed to see the poor footing. And as a result, he fell down the clif, his body rolling and hitting against the dirt for a short, yet painful amount of time before finally smacking his body against the ground. A sense of pain coursed through his whole body, most likely a rib or two broke on the fall, yet there was no time to dwell in injury, he had to keep moving.

Once he got up on his feet, a rustling sound came from around him. Quickly, he pulled out his rifle, aiming at the vegetation, his eyes searching for movement among the shadows, yet he saw nothing. Slowly, he began to calm down before hearing the sound again.

Out of reflex, or perhaps of fear, he opened fire, spraying suppressive fire all around him, small flashes of light illuminating his surroundings before dying out completely as his cartdrige ran out. Quickly, he pulled out the empty mag and searched for a new one within his pockets in a hurry and with panic, his shivering hands taking a hold of one and attempting to put it into the gun, failing a few times before finally connecting properly and loading up.

And once more, a sound came from within the darkness, but this was not rustling of vegetation. Instead, it was the grumbling of an animal, a low, deep grumble only a very large creature could do.

Slowly, the man raised his head and saw something in front of him, not in the shadows in front of him, but much higher. At almost fourthy feet or so, two large, reptilian eyes looking down at him, their gaze completely focused on their prey as their owner took a step forward, allowing the moonlight to illuminate it's large, scaley body. It's massive head and powerful jaws, opening up to reveal razor sharp teeth capable of crushing flesh and bone with ease.

The man's skin paled like a sheet of paper and terror took over him as he quickly aimed his gun at the beast, which roared out as it attacked him, giving birth to a new source of light and sound as the bullets shortly brought light upon a small part of the dark forest, the screams of that unlucky man echoing along with the roars of his hunter.

*40 years later*

If you could ever have the chance to change your life, to change yourself, would you do it? Even if that meant leaving part of what once made you human behind? Would you be able to live with yourself after taking that decision? Even if that decision was for the sake of surviving?

In the face of adversity, sometimes this is a choice that must be made, whetever one wants it or not, a choice must be made, as there is no such thing as "making no choice", only even greater consequences for not taking it.

Some people choose to seek strength, others seek intelect, and those are the ones that can face adversity more easily and attain higher standards in society, but to survive, to truly thrive and reach the pinnacle of the food chain, one needs not strength nor intellect, but something that requires neither, yet surpasses both. What one truly needs the most is, without a doubt, the ability to adapt. This is an universal and never-changing fact, no matter what.

"Hey! You're not supposed to run around here!" Yelled the angry teacher at his students while chasing after them

"Come on, teach! This is supposed to be a trip!" Said a female student while looking at him with a smirk "Where's the fun in staying still!?"

"That doesn't mean you just get to dick around like this either!"

In a ship sailing back from a trip to an island region, a couple of classes from different schools were returning from their field trip. It was originally meant as something close to a joint trip between schools to study different cultures, yet it ended up as more of a vacation than anything else.

Because of this, and as one may expect of teenagers, they were loud and very lively, running from one place or the other and gathering in small groups to fool around. Everyone, except for the casual misfits that chose to either just sit back and sleep through the trip or those that simply preferred the idea of silence and to enjoy the view of the ocean. One young man in particular was among the latter.

This teenager, instead of hanging around friends or just enjoying himself, decided to lean over the rail, calmly staring at the seemingly endless ocean and sky stretching as far as the eye could see. His mind seemingly lost in pensive thought as the wind made the bangs of his blonde hair framing his face waver slightly.

Although deeply lost in his own thinking process, the train of thought was cut short by a strong slap on the back.

"Ow!"

Upon turning his head around, the young man saw another student wearing the same uniform as his, except that the frame and insignia on the blazer were green. He was slightly taller and a bit more on the buff side. His hair was dark brown in color and his blue eyes, seemingly filled with a sense of confidence, were focused on him.

"Yo! How's it going, Max!?" He said cheerfully, a carefree and lively smile on his face

"(Alex...)" Thought Mark while looking at the person he saw as something close to a friend with something akin to a poker face

"Hey, now, don't go giving me that face...I was just being friendly here" Replied Alex while sweat dropping with a somewhat weak smile

"What's wrong? I thought you said you'd be picking women"

"It's called "pick chicks", not just women. And yeah, I was doing that up until I suddenly wondered what YOU were up to"

"I've been here"

"And what else?"

"Nothing else..."

"Eh?"

Alex looked at Max for a moment or two while blinking before wrapping one arm around his neck and making a rather irritated expression.

"You know! We're on a boat! A sailing boat! A cruise ship! A vacation! A pleasure trip!" He said with a popped vein mark "This is pretty much a golden chance to get that cherry popped, and you're telling me that you've been here doing nothing!?"

"Why...Does everything boil down to sex with you!?" Snarled Max while struggling to free himself from his grapple "I told you already! I'm not interested in that sort of stuff!"

"What are you, a Mormon!?" Replied Alex "We're gonna start collegue next year! This is the best chance to get rid of it, or are you planning to reach thirty years old and still drag around that virginity of yours!?"

"Like I said! I'm not interested in that! Besides, you know I hate dealing with women!"

Alex kept his friend locked on his grapple for a moment or two before finally letting go of him,

"Yeah, yeah...I get it already, mister "I don't like women"..." He said while shrugging with both eyebrows raised while using a slightly dissapointed tone "Even so, talking with one wouldn't hurt...Or you know, spending time with your little sister would be nice too-"

"She's not..."

"Huh? What did you say?" Asked Alex while turning around to look at him

"That bitch ain't my sister..." Said Max in a tone that had a mixture of anger and disgust

Looking at his friend, the brown-haired young man could see only his back, as he was already leaning once again on the rail, but he could tell his eyes were probably filled with a silent, yet deep anger and resentment boiling up from the bottom of his gut.

Although he had good grades and was a clever guy, Max had one lingering issue. He had a strong misogyny. Due to this, he always had next to an impossible time dealing with women. Even something as simple as talking usually proved difficult, although not impossible. And his little sister, which just started highschool this year, was someone he showed a very strong animosity towards. Despite her gentle and friendly behavior with all her classmates and teachers alike, she was probably the person Max despised the most, becoming agitated or rather agressive just by hearing her being mentioned and rejecting the very idea of acknowledging her as a sibling, despite her mother having properly married his father so long ago.

The reason behind why would he have such a deep hatred towards such a gentle girl was a mistery to everyone. Well, everyone except for Alex, who knew both of them for quite a few years already.

Right now, he wanted to say something, but all the years they spent together made him learn that, whenever Max got in that sort of attitude, he wouldn't listen to anyone or anything. In other words, it was his way of saying "fuck off".

"Fine, I get it...I'm gonna go take a nap or something" He said with his eyes closed before turning around, opening them slightly and looking at him over his shoulder before muttering "You know, you can't hold a grudge against an entire gender foverer just because of something that wasn't even her fault to begin with..."

And with those words, Alex walked away, leaving Max by himself to ponder in his own thoughts in complete silence.

"(What do you know? What does any of you know?)" He thought while thinning his eyes "(Just because a woman is a woman, she can get a way better treatment than any man out there...Because their bodies are thinner, they're seen as fragile, so no one bats an eye if they punch you, yell at you or insult you in all sorts of way, and if you try defending yourself just a bit, everyone around you inmediately lynches you right then and there, then treats you like it's all your fault. Even if they lie and are two-faced, everyone always believes them without even listening to you. People are kinder to them, help them right away and always are polite to them. If something like that happens to you, they just tell you to "man up" or "be a man" and deal with it by yourself...)"

Although it could be argued that these oppinions were quite biased to some degree due to his own perception, Max's perspective was formed out of personal experiences he had throughout his life. Unfortunately, his aloof personality always made school difficult to deal with for him, and his ever increasing animosity towards females only made it harder, as people quickly ostracized him as a brute and a misogynist by both men and women alike. This, in turn, only served to make his perspective of an unfair social system even stronger, as well as making people avoid him even further.

"Ah...Ahhhhh..."

"(Hm?)"

As he was too absorbed in thought to realize up until now, the young man suddenly noticed a voice next to him, upon turning his head, he saw a girl with long brown hair leaning her entire upper body over the rail, her head lowered as she opened her mouth widely and let out everything that was within her stomach.

"Bleeeerghhhh! ! !"

"Ehhhhhh!?"

Max's eyes widened and he broke a cold sweat as he got off of the railway and took a step away from her.

"(A woman!?)"

He looked at her as she kept ejecting what was most likely her food just a while ago for a moment or two before she finally finished, a dizzy and sickened expression on her face as she sat down on the floor.

"(Is...Is she seasick?)"

"Uwaaaaaaah...The ocean took my lunch!" She said with teary eyes

"(No...I think you're the one that gave it away...)" He thought while looking at her and sweat dropping "(Or rather, I don't think you can even call that "lunch" anymore either...)"

Taking a closer look at her, he noticed she was wearing a different uniform from the one he had. Unlike him, her uniform had a tinge of purple on it's fame and insignia, simbolizing she was a student from one of the eastern schools.

The various schools were, in fact, a single institution,but divided in four different schools, each one focused around the particular interests of the students themselves, who choose which one to attend to after taking a tests.

The green, which simbolized the west and was Alex's school, was a school focused around sports and physical health. Most of the students there were bound to become professional athletes or medicians. The dark blue, which simbolized the east and Max's school, was a school of high grades and pearless education. There was a rumor that those that attended it were kids with wealthy families, but the truth was that most of them were average people with a certain skill for studying. The white, which simbolized the north, was a school of those focused around literature and philosophy. Many people wondered just how was white related to that area of education, but many suggested it may reffer to the purity of seeking nothing but the universal answers, or perhaps snow. One way or the other, wondering about it didn't make much sense.

And last, but not least, the purple school. This one was a school focused around the various types of arts and forms of expression, along with communication. Many famous artists, entertainers and even some celebrities were formed in that school, but there was a lingering stigma surrounding it about most of the students being oddballs and misfits. Then again, stigmas flew around for all the other schools as well, as well as with any other place. At the end of the day, it was all a matter of perspective. And from what he had seen before, it wasn't such a bad place, but the female population was larger than in his current school, which was something he didn't find all too pleasing. Right now, though, he couldn't help but feel like she found the trip even more unpleasing, as her weak stomach had fallen victim to seasickness.

The girl remained in her mixture of sickened and saddened state for a moment or two longer before suddenly noticing Max's prescence.

"Eh?"

"(Ah...She noticed me...)"

"E-Erm...!"

The young man looked at her as she seemed to go into a short panic before closing his eyes and turning around in an attempt to leave.

"Ah! Wait!"

"What?" He asked while turning his head to look at her over his shoulder

"Erm...Can you please help me?"

"No"

"Ehhhhh!? Whyyyyy!?"

"Because I don't want to..."

The girl had a drowsy and slow voice. More than due to her current state, it felt like that was her usual way of speaking.

"Please, help me!"

Max looked at her for a moment or two, her big, teary eyes focused on him, almost begging for a helping hand.

"Pleaaaaaase!"

"..."

"Pleaaaaaaaaase!"

The young man suddenly popped a vein on his forehead, irritated by her constant request for his help. She was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

"Oh, for the love of-! Fine! I get it already! Just shut up!" He snarled with an irritated expression

"Eh!? Really!?"

"I'll just help you find a doctor, but that's it!"

"Yay! Thank you, mister...erm!" She said cheerfully while looking at him before going silent for a moment "...Brian!"

"Don't go giving people random names just cause you don't know their real ones!" Snarled Max with a popped vein on his forehead "Also, don't call me mister! I'm the same age as you!"

In all honesty, the young man didn't want to help her, but her whinning probably wouldn't end unless he did so. Using one shoulder, he helped her up on her feet and took her back inside. There, he searched for the doctor's office through the hallways, which he heard about at the start of the cruise. Silence remained dominant for a while before he caught notice of her giggling besides him.

"What's so funny?"

"I mean...you're actually a nice person, right?" Said the girl while looking at him with a smile "You were giving me this really scary look, but you still helped me out, so you're actually a nice person"

"I'm just helping you because you wouldn't stop whinning...I'm not a nice person, especially not to women..."

A short moment of silence went by, the girl probably thinking about his words before speaking again.

"Hey, mister...What's your name?"

"For the last time, don't call me mister" He replied without even looking at her and keeping his focus forward "Also, why do you want to know?"

"Because...I want to know?" She replied with a confused expression, probably unable to understand the meaning behind the young man's question

"Fair enough, I guess..." Said Max with a monotone expression "My name is Max"

"My name is Lily...Nice to meet you, Max" Replied Lily while looking at him with a wide and rather honest smile

The young man looked at her in silence for a moment, trying to figure just what was going through her mind right now. Oddly enough, he didn't seem to mind her as much as he did other women, the reason as to why was something he couldn't understand, but she definitely had something different from other women he had seen so far. Unfortunately, that train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the hallway shaking with a strong intensity.

"Wha-!?"

"U-Uwahhhhh!"

Almost as if an earthquake had hit the ship, everything suddenly began to shake, causing both of them to lose their balance and fall to the floor.

"Owie!"

"Hey, what the hell was that just now!?"

Within less than a minute, the peaceful silence from before was replaced by the raging sounds of thunder as loud as bomb and waves hitting constantly and furiously against the boat.

"What's going on out there!?"

Slowly, both of them got back up on their feet while struggling with the ship's unstable balance. They kept walking forward, attempting to find a way to see outside, they found a door leading out into the open. Stumbling their way outside, they finally made it out, but their eyes widened in front of what they saw.

Just as the sounds echoming inside had suggested, a powerful storm was raging on. A strong wind blowing hard enough to almost lift one off of their feet, rain pouring down with such intensity that one felt like it would get crushed by it, with the water seeping in all they way into your bones, pitch black clouds covering the sky, making it look like it was midnight and the ocean waving and raging with an intensity one could only see in nightmares. It was almost as if nature itself was waging a war against something, with the boat caught up in the middle.

"What's going on!?" Asked Lily while looking up at her surroundings with a mixture of shock and fear

"Hey, hey! Wasn't it mid-day just half an hour ago!?" Asked Max this time while looking at the storm with an expression of shock and confusion "How the hell did it get this crazy so fast!?"

"U-Uwahhhh!"

"Run away!"

"Help me!"

"Everyone! Hurry back inside!" Said one sailor while pointing at the ship

Both students and common passangers alike were on the deck as well, running around from one place to the other, some trying to help wounded friends while others went into a panic due to being caught up by their fear as the sailors and other ship crew tried leading them back inside.

"Max!"

It was amongst this chaos that the young man suddenly heard the voice of his friend calling out to him.

"Alex!?" He yelled while turning his head and seeing him running towards him

"Hey, are you okay!?"

"Yeah!"

"What the hell is going on here!?" Asked Alex while looking around him "There wasn't a single cloud just a moment ago! How did it turn into this crazy storm!?"

"I don't know! I never heard about a storm like this happening out of the blue!" Replied Max while recalling what he learned about geography from one of his teachers "At least not this fast!"

"Hey, you three! What are you doing!?" Yelled one sailor while approaching them "This isn't the time to sit down and talk! Go back inside right now! It's dangerous out here!"

"He's right! We have to hurry up and-!"

"Hey! Look at the sky!" Yelled one of the passengers while pointing upwards

Upon hearing that, Max, Alex and Lily alike raised their heads to look at the sky, their eyes widening like plates and their skin going pale as a white of sheet of paper upon what they saw.

Way up above in the skies, a crack appeared. A white, shinning crack similar to one you'd see on a broken glass covered the sky. It didn't seem quite big from their point of view, but considering how cloearly it could be seen from so up above, one could estimate the cracks in the sky covered a space of about a couple of football fields.

"(Eh...?)" Thought Max with widened eyes, a blank expression on his face, as his bewilderment surpassed any other emotion right now "(What...is that?)"

The cracks made a sound that could be heard even over the raging storms, echoing like the cries of a whale. It grew bigger and bigger, covering more of the sky while echoing an electric sound, similar to what you'd hear when a generator or machine is being powered up, before the white light grew brighter and suddenly exploded, the cracks turining into a large hole in the sky and shooting down a massive beam of light that pierced through the ocean.

The waves then suddenly changed, adapting to the beam of light and spinning around it, as if the ocean was one giant tornado and the beam was the eye of the storm, drawing everything within its reach closer to it, including the ship as well.

"Wha-What is that!?"

"Uwahhhh!"

"Look out!"

Everything shaked more and more violently as the ship got sucked into the twister of water, causing it to bend towards the center and making the footing even more uneven. This, conbined with the slippery floor from the rain, caused those who were outside to slip down towards the edge, and those unlucky enough to grab onto something fell out of the ship and into the water. Their screams hardly able to be heard over the rage of nature and this unnatural phenomenom.

"Kyaahhhhhh!"

"Uwaaaaaaahhhhh!"

"Nooooo! I don't wanna dieeeee!"

"Mommaaaaaaaaaa!"

As they slipped down, a few people managed to grab onto anything they could for dear life.

"Sh-Shit!" Said Alex as he held tightly onto the side of the frame of the door leading to the hallway

"Everyone! Hold on as tightly as you can!" Yelled the sailor to the trio while holding onto an outer pillar

Everyone held onto the first thing they reached as hard as they could. Alex holding onto the doorway, the sailor onto an outer pillar and Max and Lily holding onto a different one. They kept holding for a moment or two, using all the strength they could muster, but their muscles slowly began to give in. Max being the one to loose his grip first.

"Shit!"

"Max!" Said both Lily and Alex

As he slipped down the floor, Max desperately struggled to hold onto something before suddenly getting a grip onto the rail. He tried to hold on, but the slippery metal and his muscles weren't able to do so, causing him to loose his grip once again. It was at the last moment that the sailor quickly let go, slipped down the floor and quickly extended his hand to grab Max's while wrapping the other arm tightly around the railway.

Suddenly, the pressure coming from the light beam became stronger, the feeling of being pulled towards it far more powerful than before. It was almost as if this light, whatever it may be, was trying to take them with it. For whatever reasons, no one could understand why or how, but Max sure didn't feel like finding out.

"Damn it!" He said as he struggled to keep his grip on the sailor's hand

"Max" Yelled Alex before letting go of the doorway and slidding down towards the rail as well, holding onto it tightly in the same way while extending his hand towards him "Take my hand! Quick!"

Max listened to his words and tried to extend his other hand as well, trying with all of his strength to reach out, but at the last second, the sailor's grip was loosened, just as the tips of Max's fingers grazed those of Alex's.

"(Eh?)" He thought with widened eyes. A white, hopeless expression reflecting on them "(You're kidding me...right?)"

His mind was blank for a moment before suddenly realizing his predicament.

"Uwaaaaaaahhhhhhh! ! !"

"Maaaaaaaaaaax ! ! !"

The last thing Max saw before being swallowed up by the waves was his friend reaching out to him, both he and Lily yelling out his name at the top of their lungs.

*Scene*

The water felt as cold as ice, seeping deep into his bones, the little air in his lungs already leaving him, his body being dragged like a rag by the waves, unable and helpless to do anything.

As his consciousness slowly drifted away, everything around him became darkness. It remained like this for a moment or two before flashes of light began to move around the darkness, a drowsy, heavy feeling overcoming his body. He could hear a weird static and machine-like sounds around him, yet he could only see blurry images. This lasted for a moment or two before suddenly hearing a new sound. A blurred, seemingly incomprehensible sound, yet, Max could understand it clearly. This sound came along with a new light, flashing in synch with the sound, almost as if it was this light's voice.

"(Do you seek life? Or do you accept death?)"

"No...I don't wanna die..."

"(Why?)"

"I...I just don't want to die..."

"(So you seek life out of instinct, out of fear of death...That's your answer...)" Said the blurry voice echoing within his mind "(Very well...As lacking or basic as it may be, your answer is an honest one...)"

After accepting Max's answer, the light suddenly became brighter, almost blinding, engulfing everything for a short moment, followed by the sudden appearance of a plumbob-shapped stone.

"(You shall have the second chance you yearn for...)"

And those were the last words the young man heard before any light and sound engulfing him dissapeared, giving darkness and silence the control over everything once more. This lasted for a moment or two before his ears caught a new noise, this one being the sound of the waves coming closer and getting away at a steady pace, almost like a calm heart beating. Oddly enough, there was also the sound of an animal, most likely a bird of some sort.

"Hmmmm..."

Slowly, Max opened his eyes and saw the blue skies above him. At first his vision was blurry, but it steadily became clearer as the drowsyness faded away as well.

"Hm...?"

As he kept looking at the sky, the young man's view was suddenly blocked by something that got on his field of view and blocked it.

The shadow it made by blocking the sun made it hard to identify, but it looked like a bird of some sort was looking down at him, tilting it's head a few times with a bit of a speedy reaction in the same way as any feathered creature did.

"Eh?"

Max's eyes widened as he looked at the bird and the bird looked at him, both of them exchanging stares before the bird nudged its head down, poking him with its beak in the forehead.

"Ouch!"

In reflex to this sudden poke, the young man quickly got up, causing the bird to take a jump backwards, as if scared by his sudden movement.

"Ow...what the hell?" He said while rubbing his forehead with both hands before turning his head to look at his attacker "What kind of bird attacks someone out of the blue like-?"

Upon looking at his feathered assailant, the young man saw it more clearly. It was a brown bird with a sout body and a large peak. The shape of its wings suggested it probably wasn't capable of flight and It walked slowly in two legs, just as any other bird. Oddly enough, it didn't ressemble any creature Max knew about, and yet, he had the feeling he had seen it somewhere before.

"(Wha-What is this thing?)" He thought while looking at it and sweat dropping "(A big pidgeon? No, it's too big...Maybe some sort of wild chicken?)"

As he looked at this bird, confused by its appearance, he noticed a few more roaming around. They were large in number, but didn't seem all too interested in him. In fact, they hardly seemed to even notice he was there, besides from the one that gave him a little poke in the forhead. They seemed rather harmless too, if a bit absent-minded as well.

While wondering about them, Mark suddenly realized he was on a shoreline. Judging by the thick forest beyond the birds and the way the ocean stretched far and beyond, he came to realize the place he was at may be some sort of tropical island.

"Did I...get washed up here after the storm?"

Right now, he was surprised more than shocked by the current situation, although he wasn't all too sure whetever he should be shocked about having survived that supernatural storm or about being lucky enough not to drown in the ocean and reach an island safely. The real question, though, was his current location, or rather, the location of the island he was currently at. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to know or even get a clue, at least none he knew about.

Even just thinking made his head hurt so much that he had to put one hand over it to try and calm down the throbbing sensation coming from within.

"Damn it...what the hell happened back then?" He muttered to himself while lowering his head slightly, his eyes suddenly catching sight of something that made them widen "Eh?"

On his left forearm, slightly below the wrist, there was a small plumbob-shapped object deeply embedded into his skin and flesh.

"What the-?"

Max took a moment to look at it carefully, despite seeming like some sort of crystal or rock due to it's shape and color, it had an odd orange-ish glow in it's inner frame and seemed to be embedded quite well, besides from feeling perfectly smooth to the touch. It seemed to be made of some sort of metal, but he couldn't figure out which one. Not like that part really mattered to him right now, though.

"Daaaamn it! Come off, you little-!" He said to himself while placing his fingers over it and attempting to pull it out.

He kept struggling and pulling as hard as he could, but it was no use. The little object didn't budge an inch. Whoever implanted it into his arm, it made sure no one would be able to rip it out. Oddly enough, despite digging so deep into his flesh, the object didn't feel uncomfortable or bothersome at all. In fact, it felt so natural that didn't even notice it until seeing it with his own two eyes.

Most likely, someone implanted it into his arm through surgery, and a professional one at that. But what probably concerned him the most wasn't the object itself or the idea of it being surgically implanted into his body, but rather, the otherwordly feel this object gave off to him. No matter how or where he looked at it, this implant didn't seem like something man-made, or human-made, as for that matter.

"Hey, hey...Seriously now, just what happened while I was out cold?" He asked, a notable concern in his expression as he recalled the storm and the cracks on the sky, along with the beam of white light "Could it be...It has something to do with that crazy sci-fi beam?"

As unbelivable as it may be, the supernatural events that took place during that storm were just as crazy as the implant on his arm, if not more. Could it be they are related in some sort of way? Did he get abducted by aliens or by some shadow goverment and turned into a ginea pig for some messed up project?

There were too many question brewing up within his mind and no way to answer them. If he were to keep thinking, his brain would probably explode.

But it was then that his questions eventually led him to think about the ship.

"Wait, that's right! The ship!" He suddenly yelled, causing one of the birds to turn its head and look at him "What happened to everyone else!?"

Although his thoughts were initially focused on his own well-being, he recalled the ship and the dozens of other passengers within it, including Alex and Lily. Unfortunately, this led him to panic due to his mind thinking the worst-case scenario.

"Don't tell me I was the only one that made it out of that alive!" He said to himself as the thought suddenly implanted itself into his head "No way! That can't be it!"

Quickly, Max got back up on his feet and looked around him. He looked at both sides of the beach as far as it streched, running from his current point to a few feet before reaching the end of it, eventually stumbling into the forest area.

"Hello!? Anyone!?" He yelled while moving the vegetation aside, making his way as fast as he could "Come on, this isn't funny! Someone! Anyone, please!"

The idea of being stranded alone in an unkown island was already terrifying enough, but the thoughts of shadow goverments and alien abductions, along with all the crazy things that happened so far, stirred up his paranoia to the edge, causing his sense of reason to waver. Adding the idea that everyone on the ship may have died only made it twice as worse. But if he had made it out, if he had survived through that storm, then someone else should have done so as well. It was this thought that helped him hold on onto some semblance of hope.

Max kept running and running, losing himself in the vegetation before running out of breath and stopping right next to a tree.

"This has to be a joke, right?" He said while taking deep breaths with his body bent and both hands placed on his knees "There has to be someone out there...There just has to be!"

As he tried to convince himself to hold onto this slimmer of hope, the young man suddenly heard the sound of footsepts. Quite slow and heavy, but they were footstepts nonetheless. Max quickly raised his head, hoping to see a group of people or something of the sort, but what he saw was everything but human.

Slowly and calmly, a pair of horns poked out into view, followed by a large, elongated buckler-like bonny head and a stout body. A large creature walking on all four, seemingly aware of the young man's prescence, but not bothered in the least by it. Behind it, a few more similar creatures, most likely members of a whole heard, followed behind, seeking food among the vegetation.

Max remained silent at first due to the shock of seeing such a creature, but unlike the first one, he knew the identity of this one, as it was a very popular animal, albeit an extinct one.

"(A...A triceratops?)" He thought with widened eyes, unable to believe the creature he was looking at was actually a triceratops.

Dinosaurs, creatures that populated the earth millions of years ago and went extinct due to a natural cathastrophe, are one of the most popular type of extinct animals, espeically among children. But the keyword there was "extinct", meaning that they should have been wiped out from the earth millions of years ago. Yet, he was looking at a triceratops, one of said creature to have gone extinct, and not only did it seem alive, it seemed quite healthy as well.

He almost wanted to touch it just to make sure he wasn't going crazy or delusional, but part of him was telling him this was indeed real, and that he should probably hold back from touching it. After all, even if they were herbivores, approaching and touching a creature with horns of that size was probably not the safest idea.

His mind could have probably wandered about this for hours with no end in sight, but this was abruptly interrupted by a hand suddenly covering his mouth. On reflex, Max struggled to break free, but this quickly subsided after he heard a voice, a human voice.

"Hey, you! Calm down!" Said the voice behind him

"(What!?)" Thought Max after turning his head to look behind him

The individual standing behind him was not only a human, but a student as well. Judging by the uniform, he was from a different school, probably the western one, judging by the green-ish color of the frame and insignia on his blazer.

And he wasn't alone either. Along with him, two other people were behind, one holding a baseball bat and the other a frying pan. Both of hem also students, but one of them was from the north, and the other from the south.

Seeing Max had calmed down and was silent, the green student let go of him and made a hand gesture to remain silent before pointing at the triceratops.

"Don't make any sudden sounds" He muttered while looking at the giant four-legged creatures "Those things don't seem violent, but they get aggressive fast if you're not careful"

The young man looked at him, then at the creature while breaking a cold sweat. He already imagined approaching it wouldn't be a bad idea, but now he was even more convinced of how bad of an idea it would be.

"Where's your group? Are you alone?"

"N-No, I'm alone..."

The trio looked at each other, seemingly surprised by his answer, before looking at him again.

"I see..." Said the student on the front before changing the subject "Anyway, we should hurry up and get out of here. I don't want to stay too close of these things for too long"

"Then what do we do?"

"For now, let's just go back...I'd rather not be around for too long"

The two other students, along with Max as well, nodded in agreement and followed him, sneaking their way through the forest before reaching a small lake-like area. There, he found a group of people gathered around, all of them students as well. Probably around twelve or so, all gathered together around a makeshift campfire.

"Hey, everyone! We're back!"

"Did you guys find any good food already?" Asked one of the people from the group gathered around the campfire

"Not yet. All we could get are berries"

"Again!?"

"If you don't like it, then get your ass off of the floor and go get something yourself!" complained the student dressed in white

"Hey, who's that dude?" Asked one of among the group, who noticed Max on the back

"Ah, right" Said the student dressed in green before turning his head to look at him "We found him earlier while looking around...I didn't ask his name yet, though"

"I'm Max...Max Rockwell" Said the young man, hoping this piece of information would help

"Max...I think I heard the name somewhere before..."

"Either way, I'm sure having more people around will be helpful" Said the red student while looking at him with a smirk "For now, just make yourself at home. We'll go gather some more food later"

"Okay..."

"Oh, and by the way. My name is Jared. The other two you met are Carl and Barry" Said Jared while pointing at the purple and white student in the same order as he said their names

The young man was not all too sure what to do, so for the time being he decided to sit down somewhere close to the group and try to relax. He could have tried to be more friendly or attempt to integrate himself into the group, but there was an odd tension among the people for some reason, and he felt like it was a bad idea to approach them for now. And besides, he wasn't all too sure how to even aproach others in the first place. Usually, it was him who got approached by other people such as Alex, and even then that was considered rare.

On the other hand, he couldn't really blame them for being tense if one considered the current situation.

Stranded on a misterious island after an otherwordly storm, filled with dinosaurs and probably monsters he had yet to run into. It was just a given tensions would build up due to fear.

One thing he did notice was that everyone else had an implant on their arm as well. Some tried to rip it off, others stared at it with slight fear, and others simply ignored it. This, in turn, caused him to look at his own implant as well. Just what on earth was this thing, exactly? What was it the point of implanting it into their bodies?

Was it some sort of tracking device? Or maybe a devious prototype meant for testing on them?

One way or the other, he just couldn't seem to figure it out. He just had too little information to go by with right now. One thing was for certain, though. At the very least, he wasn't the only one stuck here. There were other people from the ship that survived.

"(I wonder if those two are okay...)"

While raising his head to look at the sky, he wondered about the well-being of his friend, and a bit about Lily's as well. Even if she was a woman, and a bit of an odball, she didn't seem like a bad person.

Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing right now. All he could do was wonder. This was not a one-sided feeling as under the same sky, in the same island, Alex made his way through the vegetation, along with the sailor, who helped make the trip easier by cutting a path open with a blood-stained machete.

"Hey! Max! Where are you!?"

"Hey! Keep it quiet!" Said the sailor while turning his head to look at him "Do you want another of those things to jump out at us!?"

From the moment they arrived to the island, they began to search for Max and any other survivors. Along the way, they got into a few unpleasant encounters with some less-than-friendly dinosaurs that had a taste for spitting out poison. Fortunately, the sailor and his machete were able to deal with them without too much issue. Even so, avoiding these encounters as much as possible was in everyone's best interests.

"If it does, then we'll deal with it!" Snarled the athletic young man

"Alex! Rick! Please, wait for me!" Said Lily walking a few feet behind them, seemingly exhausted due to the distance covered

"Hurry it up, Lily! We can't waste time!"

"I-I can't keep up anymore! Please, let's stop for a moment!" She begged with long breaths

"Damn it! It's gonna take forever to find Max like this!"

"Alex, you need to calm down" Said Rick while looking at him with a stern expression "I know you want to find him, but acting rowdy like this is only gonna get us killed...Besides, you saw what happened during that storm. It wouldn't be surprising if he-"

"Shut up" Interrupted Alex "There's no way that dumbass could die from something like that..."

The sailor looked at him for a moment in silence before replying.

"One way or the other, we won't find him if we get killed or starve to death...Right now, we need to regain our strength" He said while looking at him with a mixture of seriousness and understanding in his expression "Besides, those two won't be able to keep this pace for much longer"

Hearing the sailor mentioning them caused Alex to turn his head to look behind him. He saw both Lily, who was starting to regain some of her bearings along with a small girl in her early teens standing next to her. She had long hazelnut hair and brown eyes, along with wearing the white uniform of their school given to every first-year. She was a girl he knew all too well, and one which would most likely bring all sorts of problems when they managed to find Max, despite her gentle and caring personality.

"(I'm glad we found her when we did, but I doubt he'll be alll to happy to see her...)" He thought while looking at Alice, Max's younger step-sister, before looking forward again and raising his head to look at the sky "(Either way, we'll just deal with that when the time comes...For now, just make sure not to die!)"

*Scene*

A glass of water was filled with wine promptly by the snap of fingers made by a man with a rather fancy set of clothing sitting on a chair located on the edge of a large table. The room he was at dimly lit by a candle over the table and by a few lights placed on the walls, along with the mounted heads of many animals. Some of them were only skulls, while others were conserved through the process of taxidermy. A rather eerie aura, but perhaps that was the whole point of it.

The man was lean and appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, despite his smooth skin. His red and slick hair pulled back in a rather fancy manner. His mind was seemingly thoughtful about something, his green eyes focused on the words and drawings printed on old, yellow-ish papers as he looked at a worn out journal before hearing the sound of a few knocks coming from the door.

"Come in..."

"Excuse me" Said a burly man after opening the door and walking inside

Unlike the first one, he was tall and very muscular man with a gruff face and voice. One could almost think of him as a hardened marine or a heavy-weight boxer that could rip off someone's head with a punch. He was dressed in full-body armor dyed red, except for the head.

"Sir, my apologies for interrupting you, but I received news from the scouts..."

"Is it about the event from yesterday?" He asked, his gaze still focused on the journal

"Yes, sir..." Replied the man after walking closer and placing a few reports on the table "According to the scouts, there are between 100 to 200 new survivors that arrived into the island, all spread throughout different beach areas, and some already within forests...Judging by their clothing, most of them seem to be students from a private school of sorts, while others are-"

"Did I say I wanted to know about their prior lives?" Interrupted the man on the chair, a certain impatient tone on his voice

"So-Sorry..." Replied the burly man while breaking a cold sweat, a slight mixture of apology and fear in his expression

Despite being far more muscular and taller, the man seemed almost scared of angering the one on the chair.

"It's fine...After all, what is life without mistakes?" He said with a bit of a playful tone

The man took one last sip of his glass before putting it down next to a plate with cooked steak and salad on the side before diverting his eyes towards a window and opening it, allowing sunlight to come in and making the dozens of mounted heads more visible.

Through the window, a view to a gigantic alien-like structure on the distance floating could be seen. It was hovering on the sky through the use of some sort of unknown power, and didn't seem to be connected to the floor.

"But to think we'd get such a large batch of new "specimens"" He said while looking at the obelisk with a smirk "Looks like "it" is growing impatient, or it merely wants to experiment again?"

"Sir?"

The burly man looked at his boss, slightly confused about what he meant for a moment or two before he finally spoke once more.

"Well...One way or the other, there's no harm in having a few more "neighbors"...Don't you think, soldier?" He said while turning around to look at his subordinate with a smirk

"Then, should I send someone to recruit them, mister Alazar?" Asked the soldier, a more stern expression appearing on his face

"No...Not yet..." Replied Alazar while raising one finger, almost as if an idea just crossed his mind "For now, send the scouts a message. Tell them to keep an eye on the larger groups, and to not interrupt, no matter what...Let nature do her work and cull the weak for us..."

"Understood...I'll make sure to send the message via Dimorphodons...I doubt these people will pay much notice to them" Replied the soldier "Now then, if you'll excuse me..."

After making a salute, he turned around and left to send the message while Alazar quietly kept his stare focused on the obelisk, the smirk on his face still there.

"Now then...I'm sure things will get interesting from now on" He said with a certainly amused tone "What will you do, new survivors? Or should I call you, new specimens?"

A slight and muffed laugh came out of the man as he looked at the obelisk, wondering about just what sort of new workers, enemies and slaves alike he would obtain from this new batch of people. Would any of them prove themselves to be worthy to survive? Worthy to thrive? These questions dwelved deep within his mind, breeding a slight sense of excitement and interest within him.

And just in the same way as him, many other people began to take notice of the new survivors. From the depths of dank caves in swamps, to the snowy mountains of the north and the volcanos, where rivers of molten lava flowed freely. From all sorts of places in this island, groups and individual survivors alike spread all over the island watched in silence. Some of them curious about the new surivors in the same way as Alazar and preparing for the upcoming days, others not concerned about it and keeping to their own business. One way or the other, all of them were focused on the massive obelisks located all over the island.

On this island, on this world where only the strong survive and monsters roam freely, where life and death are only a fiber's witdht from each other, a new journey brews up for the unfortunate individuals caught up in it.

Right here, right now, the struggle for survival begins.


	2. A thorny flower

Hours passed by without any incident nor ruckus, only the echoes of birds in the distance, along with the sounds of the wind moving the leaves. Despite the large number of triceratops and birds Max had seen earlier, there didn't seem to be any of them or any other creature roaming close to his current location, perhaps it was because of the large group of people gathered there, or perhaps because their food sources laid elswhere. One way or the other, the lack of creatures created a lasting silence that could make it easy to relax, or at least that's what he thought at the start.

"Hey! That's my food!"

"Oh yeah!? I don't see your damn name on it!"

"Why, you-!"

As Max raised his head to look at the source of noise, he saw two students arguing about what seemed to be a couple of berries. At first they were merely yelling at each other, but it quickly escalated into a struggle with brute force. Luckily it didn't go from struggling to fists thanks to Jared walking in to stop them.

"Hey, you two! Knock it off already!" He said while getting in between the two and breaking up their fight "You're fighting over a couple of berries! We can always pick up more from any of the bushes around here!"

Max looked at the heated argument between those two, which many of the other people gathered around looked at as well, for a moment or two before lowering his head and closing his eyes.

Although the idea of a group initially sounded like a safer bet and the silence felt like it could be relaxing, it was the complete opposite. It honestly felt more dangerous to be in company of these people.

Due to the dinosaurs, or perhaps the lack of them right now, everyone was on edge due to fear one of them may jump out of the shadows and attack. The fact there was nothing to do but sit around didn't help at all either. Max himself felt like he would go crazy if it weren't for the doubts about the implant in his arm still plaguing his mind.

Even if his inability to reach a proper answer was irritating, at least it served to keep his mind occupied on something for the time being.

"Man...I can't believe those guys..." Said Jared while sitting down next to Max and sighing with an exhausted expression, causing the latter to open his eyes and look at him "Even thought it's just a few berries, they'd go as far as almost beating each other up like that"

The young man looked at him for a moment or two. Just like any student from the western school, he was notably more buff than the average person. Not as much as Alex, but he certainly didn't lag behind either. And In a way, Jared reminded him of his friend. Although, unlike the latter, he had brown eyes and cropped brown hair, their attitudes seemed to be very similar.

Both of them always tried to make people get along and were friendly with those around them without giving it a second though. Maybe it was because of how, as students focused mostly around sports, they had the ideals of teamwork and cooperation embedded into them.

"Well, It can't be helped...They're probably on edge because of all the dinosaurs"

"Yeah, I guess that's true..." He replied while looking up at the sky "But to think dinosaurs were still kicking around even today...What a crazy island we ended up getting shipwrecked on by accident"

"I don't think it's as simple as that"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Somehow, it doesn't feel like a mere accident that we are here" Replied Max while raising his left wrist up to face level and looking at the implant in his arm "I mean, the dinosaurs are an odd thing, but they could be explained up to some degree...If this was really just an accident, then we wouldn't have these things stuck on us"

"Now that you mention it, I've been thinking what this thing is" Said Jared while looking at his own implant as well "It kind of looks like a rock, but has this eerie orange glow to it, and we can't pull it off, no matter how hard we try"

"Besides, that storm we got caught up on wasn't natural at all...Someone wanted us here..." He said while looking more intently at the tiny rock-like object "I can't say why for sure, but It feels like whoever brought us here is watching us...Maybe even testing us..."

"He-Hey...That's some scary stuff you're saying, you know? Like, X-files level of scary..." Replied the western student while sweat dropping and going slightly paler.

Jared felt confident that he was no coward, but just hearing about Max's hypotesis regarding their misterious circumstances was enough to make his skin crawl.

"Ah, I'm sorry...I just got a bit too absorbed in thought for a moment there" Said Max while diverting his attention from the implant and looking at Jared "Don't worry too much about it, though. I'm probably just thinking too deeply here"

"I-I see..." He said while looking at him and calming down a bit "But you sure thought about it a lot, didn't you?"

"Not really..."

Truth to be told, Max's line of thought was merely a mixture of his knowledge from the many sci-fi movies he used to watch on his free time along with some guessing. But even with that, he still had no clue as to whetever he was right or not, nor any certain evidence to back up his hypotesis.

"Hey, we're about to go gather some more berries for tonight" Said Jared, breaking the young man's line of thought and causing him to divert his gaze to him, while getting up on his feet "Wanna come with us?"

"Erm...Sure, I don't mind..."

The idea of wandering around the forests, which were filled with all sorts of unknown creatures, wasn't all too comforting, but it sure beat sitting down and doing nothing all day long, especially when being surrounded by a group of people that were on the verge of killing each other every five minutes or so.

Once Jared gathered the other two guys that tagged along with him before, the four of them got ready to go on a trip to search for food. But not without one extra addition to the group.

"Excuse me, you guys..."

The four turned around and saw a rather attractive girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes smiling at them. She was wearing the green uniform and had a pink hairclip. She had a rather soft-spoken and well-behaved tone.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Are you going out to gather food?" She asked while looking at each one of them "If that is the case, would you mind if I tagged along?"

"I guess I don't mind..." Said Jared while looking at her for a moment before looking back at the others "What about you guys?"

As far as oppinions went, the other two didn't reject her request in the least. As a matter of fact, they seemed happy about the idea of having her tag along. Max, on the other hand, didn't seem al too happy about it, although he didn't say it out loud. Even so, Jared was able to catch a glimpse of the discomfort on his expession. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done, as the majority agreed on her request.

"Well, I guess having one more pair of hands and eyes never hurts..." He said while looking at her with a smile

"Great! I'll make sure to do my best!" Replied the girl cheerfully

While the two guys who agreed with her addition to the group high-fived each other, seemingly happy for some reason, Max didn't even try to hide his discomfort regarding the current situation, and Jared certainly had his own doubts about this, as he felt like having mixed oppinions would bring up some trouble down the line.

"Now, should we be on our way?" She asked cheerfully

"Yeah, we should try not to waste daylight as much as we can..."

The group of five, now equipped with the same tools as yesterday, went out to search for food. Max wasn't given a bat or a frying pan, nor any other sort of man-made object, but instead a thick stick that could probably be used as a club if swung hard enough. It wasn't a very fancy weapon and it probably wouldn't be of much use against anything truly dangerous, but at least it was better than going empty-handed.

"Hey, are you sure you don't want a weapon?" Asked Jared while looking at the girl

"It's okay. Without a weapon I can gather more berries than with it" She replied calmly while walking closer to him and leaning on his arm "Besides, I'm sure that if anything happen, I can count on you guys to protect me"

"We-Well, yeah...I guess that's true" He replied while blushing with a smile, his eyes diverting away

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Said one of the two guys on the back while raising his hand "We can protect you too!"

"That's right. that's right!"

"Thank you!" Said the girl while turning her head to look at them with a smile "I know I can count on you as well"

"Leave it to us!" Yelled both of them at the same time, their faces blushing and a determined look in their eyes, along with some rather silly smiles

While the two guys felt like they were having the time of their lives, Max, who was walking between them, had a rather exhausted face on him, and it had nothing to do with the female that tagged along this time.

"You two...Don't you think yelling like that isn't a bad idea?" He asked while looking at both of them

"Hey, you...What's with that lack of excitement?" Asked the student in white while looking at him with a rather dissapointed expression

"That's right...We get to hang out and even protect Amelia and that's your reaction?" Added the purple student with an equal expression "Are you into dudes or something?"

"Why should I get excited about having that woman tag along? I don't even know her"

"You...You don't know who Amelia is?"

The two students looked at him for a moment or two with shock, almost as if had said an outrageous thing. Max, on the other hand, had no idea what the big deal was.

"How can you NOT know!?"

"I'm from the blue school, remember?" He replied while poking at the blue insignia on his blazer with a slightly irritated expression "The blue school, not the green"

Max never really had an interest in the other schools nor in the females on his own school, so there were even fewer chances he could know anything about a woman from another school.

"Amelia is the most popular girl from the western school and one of the four flowers!"

"Four flowers?"

"You don't know about the four flowers either!?" Asked the student in white

"(These guys are really starting to get on my nerves!)" Thought the young man with an irritated expression and a popped vein mark

"Listen here...The four flowers are the most popular girls from each of the four schools" Explained the student in purple "Each girl usually excels at something like studying, sports, social skills or something that makes them stand out over everyone else...But there's always one thing that doesn't change"

"What?"

"They're all utterly gorgeous!" Replied both of them at the same time "They're so beautiful, that some people even reffer to them as "the four godesses" rather than "the four flowers"!"

"Godesses?" Replied Max while looking at them and sweat dropping "(Somehow, that sounds like something you'd see in an overhyped videogame)"

"Just the mere chance to be close to them is the dream of every guy in our schools"

"Almost every guy..." Interrupted the young man

"And now WE of all people finally get a chance to do that!" Said the student in white with excitement, completely ignoring Max's words "It's just a given we'd be fired up!"

"All right! I'm gonna do my best and get her to see just how reliable I am!"

"Me too, me too!"

"Let's do our best together!"

While the two goofballs began to cheer as if they were marching into some sort of war, Max looked at them and sweat dropped.

"(The hormones sure are strong on these two...)" He thought before closing his eyes and sighing

Right now, he wasn't all too sure whetever tagging along was a good idea or not after all. What he did know, though, was that this wouldn't be the quiet trip he had hoped for.

Slowly, they made their way through the forest, picking up berries and stocking them up inside a backpack Jared brought along.

"Hm...blue, red, yellow..." Said Max while picking up berries from a bush "Didn't think there were so many different types of berries..."

"Yeah, but try to not to pick up the black ones"

"The black ones?"

The young man diverted his eyes from Jared to to the bush and noticed there were a few black berries among the bunch. At simple sight, they didn't seem any different from all the other ones besides from their color, which made him feel confused as to why he shouldn't pick them up.

"They're not dangerous, but they seem to have some sort of poison that makes you fall asleep"

"Fall asleep?" Replied Max with a slightly surprised expression "So they're soporific berries?"

"Soporific? What's that?" Asked the purple student

"It means that they make you drowsy or sleepy...Kind of like sleeping pills"

"Oh...Then yes. They're that..."

The young man knew all sorts of rare things could be found in the wild, but he didn't think something like a berry that made you fall asleep could be spread around so easily. Then again, that was the result of growing up in society, away from the dangers of nature. If one were to eat one out in the wild and fall asleep, they'd be at the complete mercy of any animal that passed by for sure.

"(I guess they're better left alone, then...)"

Max got away from the bush and left the black berries in peace to follow after the rest of the group. And while everyone focused on gathering more of the edible berries, Amelia took a second look at them, a slight smirk, which couldn't be seen from anyone's angle, forming on her face.

Afterwards, the search kept going, spreading out so far that they eventually reached the beach once more. There, they found nothing but a few birds similar to the one Max stumbled upon waking up before.

"Whoa! What are those!?" Said the purple student with widened eyes

"They look like giant pidgeons" Added the white student while sweat dropping

"They're dodos..."

"Dodos?" Asked the two while looking at Max

Although he couldn't recognize them before due to being disoriented and in a state of panic and confusion at the time, now he was able to look at them more calmly, and in doing so managed to recognize them from a history book he read as a child.

"What's a dodo?"

"It was a bird that got hunted into extinction by sailors a few centuries ago"

"So they're not dinosaurs?" Asked Jared while looking at him

"No, they're birds"

"Somehow, I don't like them..." Said Amelia while looking at them with certain disgust "They look gross...And dumb..."

The group looked at the birds wandering around from one place to the other, seemingly without a care in the world, before Max suddenly noticed the dodo that pocked him in the forehead earlier among the bunch and decided to approach it.

"H-Hey, Max! What are you doing!?"

Despite Jared's attempt to make him stop, Max kept walking towards the dodos without any worry before crouching in front of one of them. The bird then looked at him, seemingly curious about him for a moment or two before the young man took a few berries from the bunch he had picked up so far and extended his hand, offering them to the bird, which looked at them and didn't hesitate to dig in.

"He's...feeding it?" Asked Jared while sweat dropping

Everyone looked with slight surprise for a moment or two before Max turned his head to look at them.

"It's okay! They're not dangerous!"

"Eh? Really?"

Although slightly dubious, the four students approached the young man and the birds, which didn't seem all too bothered by their presence right down to the point of not even caring.

"They're even worse up close..." Said Amelia while the disgust in her face increased

"I'm kinda surprised it's not scared of us..." Said Jared while taking a closer look at the Dodos around him "Most birds usually freak out when people get too close"

"Dodos were an isolated island species that lived without any natural predators to worry about...Because of that they didn't know how to fear other species, so they got hunted into extinction by humans because of it"

"You sure know a lot about Dodos, don't you?" Said the white student

"I used to like Dodos when I was little...I thought they were cute"

"How exactly does the words "cute" fit these things?" Asked Amelia while breaking a cold sweat

Although many children usually favor the more popular and widely known dinosaurs such as the T-rex, triceratops or branchiosaurus as their favorite extinct animal, Max always liked Dodos more than any other cretaure, mostly because he thought they were plump chickens, which somehow felt cute to him.

Even if he did use the past tense, part of him still thought of them as cute up to some degree, despite their rather brainless look.

"Hey, let's go back already...I really don't like to be around these things..."

"Amelia is right, we should get going before it gets dark" Said Jared while looking at the group "And the birds aside, we ned to get these berries to the rest of the group before they spoil"

The other two guys agreed with his suggestion before one suddenly had an idea.

"Wait...Why don't we take one of them with us?"

"That's right! They're like chickens right!?" Added the white student "I bet we could take one back and eat it...Hell, we could just take them all if we wanted to!"

"Could you kill them?" Interrupted Jared while looking at him with a stern expression

"Eh?"

"I'm asking you if you could kill them..." He asked once more "To eat them we need to kill them first...Could you do it?"

"Tha-That's..."

"O-Of course we could! It's to stay alive, right!?"

"Then do it..."

Jared pointed at one of the Dodos, which was close to the two guys. Both of them turned their heads and looked at the bird for a moment or two, breaking a cold sweat in hesitation.

"Dodos aren't edible, though..." Said Max, breaking the silence and interrupting the strong tension

"Huh?"

"Dodos can be eaten, but they aren't edible..."

"Wa-wait! Didn't you just say they were hunted by sailors before!?" Said Amelia, a strong confusion in her expression

"Yeah, but I didn't say what happened to them for eating the Dodos..."

"Di-Did they get poisoned or something?"

"Yeah..." He asnwered by looking at them "Although they can't spread it by touch, Dodo flesh and blood contains large amounts of Batrachotoxin, which causes instant paralysis and death shortly after being eaten...You literally become unable to breathe and suffocate to death"

"Seriously!?"

"Yeah...That's why the sailors that survived hunted them into extinction...Because they thought Dodos were too dangerous to be left alive"

At that moment, everyone except Max quickly took some distance from the birds while instantly paling and breaking a cold sweat in fear of the toxic birds. But this, of course, was an utter and complete lie.

Batrachotoxin is, in fact, a toxin that coats the skin of frogs from Latin American countries such as Brazil. There was no way a bird, or any other animal besides said frogs, could carry such a dangerous toxin, at least not without suffering instant death.

"A-anyway! Forget about those things! Let's just go back!" Said Amelia while looking at Jared

"Tha-That's right! We don't need the birds!"

"Yeah...I guess we should go back..."

The rest of the group quickly took their leave, going back into the forest while Max looked at them for a moment before looking again at the Dodo and placing one hand over it's head, caressing it.

"There we go...I'm sure they won't bother hunting you guys from now on" He said while looking at the Dodo with a smile

Even if they could provide ample supplies of flesh and be hunted easily enough, Max didn't like the idea of killing Dodos en masse, hence the made-up lie just now.

If they truly needed more food than the berries, they could always try to get some fish from the waters and small rivers covering the beach.

The bird, although seemingly unable to understand him, chirped in response to his words. Perhaps merely a reaction to his words rather than their meaning, but Max liked to imagine it was its way of saying "thanks".

After giving this chirp, the bird walked up to the shore and submerged its beak into the water, drinking from it and giving the young man quite a confusion as he looked at it.

He looked at the bird for a moment before walking closer to the shore himself and taking a handful of water, drinking it himself. The taste made his expression change into one of shock.

"This isn't salt water?"

Max was utterly bewildered by this discovery, as he initially imagined this massive body of water to be the ocean, but ocean water wasn't potable due to its large levels of salt. Yet, this water didn't have the slightest taste of salt in it, meaning it was safe to drink.

Despite seeming like good news, it brought yet another doubt into his mind. If this isn't the ocean, then what was it?

"Hey Max! Hurry up!" Yelled Jared from within the forest

Although his mind was dwelling deep within thought, this got suddenly interrupted by the group calling for him.

"I'm going!" Replied the young man before looking at Dodo next to him one more time and getting up on his feet

As he turned around and walked away and back into the forest, the bird looked at him and chirped one more time as he saw him dissapear among the leaves and trees. After a short moment of silence, it went back to wandering without a single worry in the world.

*Scene*

Promptly upon their return, they were greeted by the others rather warmly, probably because they brought quite a good amount of food and not just another mouth to feed this time around.

While everyone decided to feast up on the bounty, the young man sat back on the spot he was at before, leaning his back against the rock wall and letting his mind dwell deep in thought about his discovery from earlier.

"(There can't be potable water in the ocean...It should be all salt water...So why...)"

Even though there was no fog and the view was as clear as it could be, he couldn't see any land on the distance nor on the sides, meaning that was truly the edge of the island.

"(Just what the hell is this place?)" He thought while looking up at the sky once more

The more he saw, and the more he questioned the things surrounding him, the more he questioned the island itself. One could go as far as saying he was even questioning whetever this wasn't all just a dream, that he would eventually wake up in his bed or still in the ship on the way home.

"Hey, Max"

The young man snapped out of his train of thought and lowered his head to see Jared approaching him with a few berries on a large leaf.

"What's wrong?"

"Here's your share" He said while giving the berries to him

"Oh...Thanks..."

Max extended his hand and got a hold of them, placing the leaf next to him before taking one berry and eating it calmly.

"So, what happened earlier?"

"Earlier?"

"Yeah..." Said Jared while looking at him, slight concern in his expression "The other's didn't notice it, but having Amelia tagging along really seemed to bummer you out for some reason"

"That's...Well..."

"Did something happen between the two of you?"

"No...I just..."

The young man didn't reply fully this time. Instead, he chose to remain silent mid-way through. And just by looking at this, Jared could tell it was probably a delicate subject for Max, so much that he couldn't even bring himself to talk about it.

"Well, it's not really my business so I'm not gonna ask you about it if you don't want to" He said while scratching the back of his head with his eyes closed "Still, please try to avoid getting into any trouble with her...I don't mind breaking another fight, but you're gonna get on the bad side of a lot of people if you do"

"What do you mean?"

"Take a look at Amelia for a moment"

Max did as told and looked at the blonde woman, who right now was surrounded by all the female students and looked at by many male students from a distance as well. She seemed like the life of the party right about now.

"Honestly, I'm not that big of a fan for the four flowers, but a lot of people here are really into them, especially into Amelia" Explained Jared "Among the people I've met, some transfered from other schools or even chose a specific one out of the four just for a chance to be closer to one of them"

"Isn't that going a bit overboard?" Asked Max while looking at the green student and sweat dropping

"Yeah, you could say that...People do some pretty crazy stuff when they're obsessed over something..."

Both Jared and Max then focused once again on Amelia as the later's mind began to dwell into thought once more.

The four flowers, a traditional tittle given to four girls, each from one of the different schools, in recognition of their beauty and outstanding skill with a certain "aptitude" where they are known to be the best of the best. Although he wasn't all too sure what that "aptitude" may be, it was probably quite impressive if it could earn that much admiration from so many students.

"(She doesn't look all that special, though...)"

Despite all the claims about greatness and being outstanding, Max couldn't really see any of that in Amelia. Sure, she was quite gorgeous in terms of beauty standards, but beyond that, she didn't seem like she had anything outstanding.

Considering her place in the green school, one could think her aptitude could be at sports, but that was unlikely, since her figure looked more like one of a model, rather than that of an athlete. She did seem to attract a lot of people and interact with them with an almost instinctive ease, so perhaps being "extremely sociable" was her aptitude. One way or the other, there was no way he could know. All he did know was that he'd have to be even more careful with her than with any average woman.

"He-Hey! What is that!?"

The young man's train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the yelling from another student, who was aiming at the skies on the distance. And when turning his head to look at it, he realized the reason behind it.

Way up in the skies above, just a short distance from their location, a ball of light floated as electricity coursed through it.

"(Wha-!?)" Thought Max with widened eyes

The light remained still for a moment or two before suddenly releasing a beam that descended all the way down into the forest.

"Is that the thing that sunk the ship!?"

"Is it gonna start another storm!?"

"Everyone! Hide somewhere, quick!" Said Jared while getting up on his feet and looking at them

The group, which was reasonably panicking at the idea of what could this unnatural phenomenom do to them, didn't hesitate to quickly seek shelter in hiding behind trees and rocks on the opposite side, doing their best effort to remain out of sight. Almost everyone reacted in this way, except Max, who remained where he stood, his gaze focused on the light.

"Hey, Max! What are you doing!? Hurry up and hide!" Yelled the green student from behind a three

The young man didn't listen to this, instead, he remained focused on the light for a moment or two before suddenly heading into the forests and towards the beam.

"He-Max!? Where are you going!?"

"(No...that's not the same as last time...That's something different!)" He thought while making his way through the forest

The light, while slightly similar to the one that sunk the ship and caused the storm, was different. The most notable difference being in its size, the one from before being larger than the ship itself, while this one was probably around the size of a small car. Also, the storm began taking place shortly before the first light's arrival, while with this one there was no change at all in the climate even after becoming visible.

At the moment it was nothing more than a gut feeling, but the hope that it could provide some answers was more than enough to motivate the young man to seek answers.

Little did he, nor anyone else in the group know, that they were being watched right now. Two shadowy figures, hiding among the branches of the trees, using the darkness of the night and the leaves as cover. Both of them spying on their every move and gathering information for their boss.

"Well, would you look at that..." Said the first shadowy figure with a jokingly tone, which had a mixture of amusement in it as well "Looks like one among the bunch ain't a complete mutt, eh?"

"Seems like it...He probably has a good intuition, or a good head on his shoulders...or maybe even both..."

"Either way, it looks like shit's about to get interesting!" Said the first one once more while staying focused on Max "Hey, I wanna go and see what that kid does"

"Very well. I'll make sure to keep an eye on the rest of the group..." Replied the second one "But try not to get too sidetracked"

"Yeah, yeah..."

With their plan of action decided, the first figure jumped to another branch, going from tree to tree while the other remained to watch over those that stayed behind.

Meanwhile, within the forest, Max kept making his way through the vegetation as fast as he could, going by quite a few trees and bushes, getting closer and closer to his destination before finally reachin a patch of open space. There, the beam of light touched the ground, blowing short but weak gusts of wind in all directions, causing the grass and leaves to wave in synch with it while dispersing and spreading evenly on the ground in the same manner as an aura from a character from a shounen or any other type of animation. It also made a low, yet stable sound, similar to that of a generator, but that was as far as comparisons went.

Depsite all of the unnatural traits, it didn't seem very dangerous or threatening as the others imagined at first. Max even went as far as submerging half of his index finger into the beam, yet didn't feel anything besides an odd tingly feeling similar to that you felt by touching a plasma ball.

While pondering the reason behind the beam's sudden apparition, the young man raised his head to look up at the source of light and suddenly saw something had emerged from within it.

"Eh?"

It was difficult to discernt what it was at the start due to the distance, but the object steadily kept descending from the skies until finally standing right in front of the young man, who for a moment thought about running away before being able to see what this alien-like object was.

The first thing he could notice about this object was its large size and plumbob shape. It floated inches away from the ground, seemed to be made out of a black alloy and had four white light lines running through it that connected on the center, where they formed a small plumbob shape. There were also four other metallic objects that resembled fins levitating and circling around it at a fast speed.

"(What...is that thing?)" Thought Max while looking at it with widened eyes and a strong confusion

He kept looking at it in silence for a moment or two before slowly raising his hand once more and reaching out to it.

Perhaps it was out of curiosity, or maybe it was something akin to intuition, but something within him was telling him not to run away. Telling him to approach the plumbob instead.

As his fingers reached out and touched the black alloy, a new sensation began to beat within him, almost like a second heart. At first it spread out throughout all of his body, but it only took a moment for it to begin focusing. First on his arm, then in his forearm, and finally on his wrist.

Realizing where it was coming from, Max quickly turned his forearm and saw the implant acting different from before. The outer orange frame began to glow dimly at first, coming in and fading away slowly like a dying heartbeat before steadily speeding up, eventually reaching the speed of a beeping alarm. It's light glowing so bright enough to become blinding, making the young man quickly use his right forearm to cover his face while closing his eyes and turning his head away in preparation for whatever may happen. Yet, there was only silence.

"Huh?"

Max remained still for a moment or two, but there was no response, only more silence. After he grew tired of waiting, the young man opened his eyes and looked once more at the implant, his eyes growing as wide as plates at the new sight in front of him.

From within the blinding light of the implant, something emerged. It looked like two large holographic screens, with a number of words and numbers on the right which seemed to change constantly, along with a few more words on the edges.

"Wha-What the...?"

Completely astounded by this otherworldy sight, the young man looked from one side of the hologram to the other, trying to understand what was happening. It was then that his eyes focused on three icons placed within the middle screen. One had the appearance of a small brown bag of sorts, while the second was a slingshot and the third looked like a piece of cloth, most likely worn on the head, judging by how it looked like a hat. Above them, he could see two pieces of text. "Supply Drop" on the top and "Loot it!" below it.

"A supply drop?" He asked while looking at the text, then at the giant plumbob "That's what this is?"

Although he had seen plenty of supply drops or loot crates within videogames, this was the first time he saw such an oddly shapped one. Usually they looked like boxes, not like plumbobs.

"Well...No harm in trying, right?"

Dubious or not, he wouldn't find out anything just by standing around and doing nothing. If he wanted to find out more about this phenomenom, he would have to do something.

"Here goes nothing!"

Without hesitation, Max extended his right index finger and touched one of the icons. In doing so, a new piece of text appeared, giving extra information about the item he chose. After taking a second to read it, he tried touching the "Loot it!" button. This caused the items to suddenly appear right in front of him through a sudden flash of light, almost as if it had been teleported to his location. Right afterwards, the plumbob cracked and shattered into shreds as the beam suddenly faded away.

"Whoa!?" Said Max as he quickly took a step back

Looking at the shattered remains of the supply drop, Max put the slingshot, skinbag and cloth hat down for the moment and approached the fragments, picking one up and looking more carefully at it before it and the other fragments suddenly broke up again and desintegrated into dust-like blue particles, getting blown away by the wind.

He couldn't really say that the experience was all too self-explanatory by itself, but at least he found a piece of information that could be useful in the future to survive.

After fiddling around with the screens for a bit more, he turned his forearm around. Just as he had hoped, this caused the holograph to dissapear for the moment, making the implant's glow fade away as well.

"Oh...Quite a fast learner, that one" Muttered the scout, who watched everything take place and looked at the young man walk away from the place with his new belongings, hidden away within his uniform

The spy moved from tree to tree once more, following after Max as he made his way back to the group, which were quite surprised to see him back.

"Max!?" Said Jared, being the first one to notice him and quickly approach him

Quickly after him, the other students approached the young man, bombing him with countless questions, some of them being quite similar or exactly the same.

"Hey, what happened with that light!? Was it the same light as yesterday!?"

"Did it drop more people!?"

"We saw something pop out of it just now! What was it!? Did you see it!?"

Max quickly took a step back while breaking a cold sweat. He was not used to this level of attention, or pressure, at all.

"Hey, you people. Take it easy, will you?" Quickly said Jared while getting on the front once more "One at a time"

When everyone backed down a bit, Max sighed with relief. Seeing this, the green student took the chance to ask the first question, and one that could sum up everyone's doubts into one.

"Hey, Max...What was that beam of light?" He asked while looking at him "Did you get to see anything?"

The young man looked at Jared, then at the group of people, feeling the piercing pressure of their stares upon him.

"I..." Replied Max with a certain hesitation before replying properly "I didn't get to see it..."

"What?"

"I didn't get to see it..." He repeated once more while closing his eyes and scratching the back of his head "I tried getting closer to where the beam was landing on, but I didn't find anything...Whatever came out, it made sure to leave before I could get to it"

At that moment, everyone's excitement suddenly died out like a flare in the night. Most of them probably expected a clue that could lead them to leaving the island or to improve their surivival chances. Either way, they received none.

"I see..." Said Jared with slight dissapointment in his tone and expression "Well, at least no one got hurt, so I guess that's good too..."

"Hey, so what do we do now?" Asked one of the students on the back

"For now, we should all try to get some sleep and see what to do tomorrow" Replied the green student while turning around and looking at the group "It's getting late already, and we won't be able to do anything if we're too tired"

"But what if those mosnters appear?"

"We'll take shifts...Make sure to keep constant guard around a certain area"

Although some were dubious or hesitant about the idea due to the lingering fear of the dinosaurs, everyone had to acknowledge Jared's solution could definitely work out and decided to agree in the end. After all, no one really had any better ideas to toss out.

While the shifts for those who would sleep and those who would stand guard were being decided, the two spying figures reunited once more.

"Heyyyyy, I'm back" Said the first one cheerfully

"You sure took your time, didn't you?" Replied the second one without half as much emotion as his companion "So? What really happened back there?"

"What? He didn't tell them?"

"Whatever happened, he probably said the complete opposite"

"Ohhhhh? So he's that type, huh?" Said the first spying figure as a smirk formed on his face and his eyes focused on Max once more "I knew it, things are really gonna get interesting!"

*Scene*

"Hmmm..." Hummed the young man as he analyzed his inventory, carefully analizing the many options and touching the options to change the interface

Two days went by after the supply drop's sudden apparition. Unfortunately, no more of them came by, at least not as far as they knew of or could spot from their current location. But In a way, this was also a good thing, as it made people feel more calm, although going through the night wasn't all too pleasant of an experience, mostly because sleeping on the grass and rocks wasn't exactly the same as sleeping on a comfty bed.

So far, the daily routine of going out to gather berries for food every few hours during the day didn't change all that much. But besides from that, there was not much to be done for the time being. One could consider this huge gaps of wasted time frustrating, but Max managed to keep himself busy with both the berry gathering and his new discovery, which he made sure to keep a close eye on whenever he could get some time to wander away from the group to a more secluded spot within the forest.

It took him some fiddling around for a few hours each day, but he more or less had achieved a somewhat stable understanding of how this implant worked. In a way, it was quite similar to a videogame's interface, as it contained not only an inventory, but a screen showing both a mugshot and that person's physical state, along with something that appeared to be stats. There was also an extra screen called "crafting", but it was completely empty. In order to activate it, all he needed to do was look at it intently and put strength into his middle finger. It took a few tries, but he got the hang of it by the time he realized it.

"Are you looking at that thing again?"

After hearing a voice questioning him, Max quickly raised his head and saw Jared looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah!" He said with widened eyes and a cold sweat "Th-This is...I...!"

"Take is easy, I didn't mean to creep up on you" Replied the green student, noticing the growing panic on the young

"Eh?"

"I mean, it's okay to keep yourself busy and all, but if you keep staring at that thing so strongly, the others are gonna think you're starting to lose it"

"(He...Can't see it?)"

At first Max panicked since he was unsure of how to properly explain the interface to Jared, but his expression quickly changed from panic to surprise after noticing the later's calm and collected reaction.

Even though the interface was still there, as plain as day in front of him, and the implant's glow was just as bright as a star, the green student didn't show a single reaction to it. As a matter of fact, he acted as if it wasn't even there to begin with. It was then that Max wondered if really couldn't see it.

"What's wrong? You look paler than usual..."

"N-No...It's nothing..."

"O...kay?" Replied Jared while raising one eyebrow again "Anyway, we're gonna go for another gathering run in a few"

"Okay, I'll go get a backpack" Said Max while nodding

The green student nodded in agreement as well before turning around and walking away. Once he was gone, the young man looked at the interface one more time.

"(So I'm the only one that can see my interface?)"

For some reason, Jared didn't even notice it, and his reactions didn't feel forced at all, so he wasn't lying. Perhaps the interface could only be seen by the person embedded with the implant projecting it. If such was the case, then it should be the same for the others. One way or the other, he decided not to dwelve too deep into thought this time around and headed back to get one of the group's backpacks before meeting up with Jared and the rest at the gathering point.

"Okay, everyone...We've been gathering close by lately, but I think today we should try something different"

"Something different?" Asked Max

"Today I want to try and split us up in smaller groups" Explained Jared while looking at the four people "That way we can cover more ground, and it'll be easier to escape in case something happens"

"I see...That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Said Amelia, suddenly becoming cheerful after some thought

"A group of two..." Said the white student, which was shortly followed by the purple one "...Two people, alone by themselves..."

The two guys seemed baffled for a moment before their eyes suddenly sparked up.

"A chance!" Said both of them at the same time

Max looked at them and sweat dropped. It didn't take too much hindsight or pensive thinking to realize what those two had in mind. In fact, there was not even any need to think, as they quickly voiced it out on their own.

"Amelia! Please team up with me!" Said the student in purple

"No! Team up with me! I'm way better than him!" Interrupted the student in white

"No way! I'm a way better partner for Amelia than you!"

"Oh yeah!?"

"Yeah!"

"Prove it!"

"Why, you-!"

Decided to be the companion of the gorgeous blonde, both students suddenly began a rather heated argument, which Jared soon trying to stop it in vain.

Fortunately, the ruckus didn't last long, as it was stopped not by Jared, but by Amelia herself.

"I'm sorry, you two...I appreciate the gesture, but I'll have to say no this time"

"Eh!? Why!?" Said both at the same time while looking at her with widened eyes and a strong mixture of sadness and shock in their expressions

"(So she's going with Jared, after all?)" Thought Max while looking at her "(Well...It's not like that was unexpected)"

"Today, I'd like to go with you, if it's not too much trouble" She said while looking at the young man

"Eh?"

To everyone's surprise, Amelia wasn't looking at Jared. Instead, her eyes were focused on Max. It took a moment for the four of them to fully process it and react accordingly.

"Ehhhhh!? Why him!?"

"After his show of bravery by chasing that mysterious light the other night when others did nothing but hide, I'm convinced this man has more than enough potential to grant me ample protection" She explained while looking at Max with a smile "Don't you think so too, Max?"

"I-I..."

The young man quickly took a step back while breaking a cold sweat. Usually, women made sure to keep their distance from him, not the other way around. This being the reason why he had a hard time dealing with the current situation.

"And with that said, I'd like you to be my partner for today...What do you say?"

Max didn't reply to her question, he simply looked at her, trying to think of a way to refuse without making him end up being public enemy n°1.

"Okay, that sounds reasonable..." Said Jared, making everyone look at him

"What!?" Said both the young man and the two students at the same time with widened eyes

"Well, I'd like to try and scout as much as I can, so going solo is gonna make things easier on me" He explained while looking at them "Besides, Amelia herself says she wants to go with him, so I don't see the problem"

"N-No wayyyyyy!"

The white and purple student were quick to be overwhelmed by depression as they fell down on all four, a rather dark aura surrounding them both, their expressions saddened to the point of thinking they had just suffered a great tragedy.

"Splendid!" Said Amelia cheerfully "Then, if there's no more to be said, then let us be on our way!"

Once the groups were decided, everyone moved out to begin gathering food.

As they walked through the forest, searching for berries or anything else that could serve as good source of nutrition, each one went on a different direction. Along the way, the young man had a really difficult time focusing on this task, as he could feel Amelia's stare strongly focused on him at every second.

"(Damn it, Jared...Why did you put me with her?) He thought while breaking a cold sweat

Max couldn't help but feel quite ungrateful towards the green student.

Although Jared didn't mean any ill will, and most likely accepted this to help the young man get over whatever issues he had with Amelia, this was not the real root of the problem nor the way to fix it in the least. Unfortunately, there was no way to fix it up now. All he could do was hurry it up and get done with this task as fast as he could.

Little did Jared know, he had just given a start to what would most likely exacerbate this problem beyond what anyone could even imagine.

"Excuse me, Max?"

"Yes?"

"I've been wondering, are you an acquaintance with Alex?"

"Alex?" He asked back, slightly curious but without putting too much thought into it "Yeah, I do know him..."

"Then, that means you were with him back when that storm happened?"

"Yeah...It wasn't for long, though..."

Her questions seemed oddly focused on Alex, and something about them felt slightly uncomfortable. Then again, Amelia herself was a great source of discomfort for the young man.

Beyond the fact she was a woman, just something about her in general was unsettling, perhaps the way she was always so polite and kept smiling to everyone in the way she did. It felt oddly unnatural, almost forced if one may say.

"Do you know where he is? Is he in the island too?"

"I don't know"

"Don't lie to me! !"

After suddenly hearing that shout, the young man stopped dead in his track and turned around to look at Amelia. Unlike the passive expression from before, now there was a frown on her face, and her eyes were hidden away under the shadows made by her bangs.

"You know something, don't you!? You're just hidding it away from me!"

Quickly, she stepped forward and took a hold of the young man's shirt, pulling it towards him with a rather strong aggression.

This took him by surprise with such intensity that he failed to react at first.

"He's alive, isn't he!? He has to be alive!" She yelled at him while moving him back and forth more violently with every passing second, a strong anger appearing in her eyes and seemingly only capable of increasing "Tell me where he is! Tell me right now!"

"Ge-Get away from me! !"

In an instinctive response, the young man quickly rasied a leg and hit her with the sole of his shoe in the gut. The force of his leg was more than enough to break free from her grip, pushing her back a couple of steps and making her fall to the floor as he took a few steps back as well.

Amelia quickly raised her head and looked at Max. When seeing the mixture of shock and fear in his expression, she became able to realize what she did just now. In response to this, she turned around, giving her back to him for a few moments while trying to regain her composture.

"(What the hell was that just now!?)" He thought while his gaze remained focused on her

Part of him had imagined she wasn't like everyone pictured her to be, but that was beyond what he had expected. The fact she showed such an obsession with Alex only seved to make the fear swelling up within him even worse.

"I'm sorry...but could you give me a moment?" She said with a much more calmed tone now, but still with her back turned to him

Max didn't respond, he didn't say anything. All he did was remain there silently, waiting for her to do something. Mostly because he was unsure of what to even say right now.

After a few more moments of silence went by, Amelia finally regained full composture, and the two resumed their search for food. This time, though, neither of them looked at each other.

Max had an even harder time focusing on the task at hand due to the feeling of danger, and the flower of the west didn't even seem to be trying this time around. All she did was follow behind him in silence. Perhaps unsure what to say, or perhaps simply to absorbed in her own thoughts. One way or the other, at least it meant she was quiet and not violent, which was good enough for the young man.

Almost half an hour went by as they kept searching to no avail before finally stopping to rest. For obvious reason, Max made sure to sit a safe distance away from Amelia. It didn't seem like she would snap at him again, but better safe than sorry.

"(I guess this area's not good for berry gathering...)" He thought while looking at the forest around him "(We should try and make a map or something later...)"

As his eyes diverted from one side to the other, he suddenly looked at Amelia. She seemed calm, maybe a bit too calm, but he felt like it'd be better to leave her alone. And he didn't really want to approach her either.

When diverting his eyes away from her, Max tried to focus on something else, eventually focusing on the implant. Looking at it caused his mind to recall the supply drop, and how he lied to the group about it.

"(...Why did I lie back then?)"

Even after two days, he was still baffled by his own decision and partly confused as well.

Looking at it from a logical point of view, not saying anything about it was probably for the best. Seeing how everyone was always so agressive and bound to fight each other for anything, he felt like sharing this information would only lead to more fights within the group, making everyone go at each other's troaths just to obtain three objects that hardly had any real value beyond some small convenience, simply because it could make them feel safer. That, and the lack of knowledge he had about the interface made him feel like speaking about it was a bad idea. But at the same time, he couldn't get rid of this feeling within his gut telling him that his decision was not the right one.

If he had told everyone, it could have led to what he thought, but what if it could have led to something good? What if it could have given everyone a sliver of hope?

Did he feel bad for robbing people of that hope? Was it because he didn't trust them?

The questions kept beating within his head over and over again.

"(Maybe I should tell them when we return...)"

It was a given they wouldn't be all too happy about it now, but saying it now was better than them finding out by themselves later.

"Excuse me, Max?"

The young man's focus was suddenly interrupted by Amelia's voice, which sounded rather close. When raising his head, he saw her merely a few steps away. It would be a lie to say seeing this didn't startle him, but noticing her expression didn't have any anger in it helped him calm down.

"Ye-Yes...?"

"I'd like to apologize for my earlier behavior...It was wrong of me to act in such an unbefitting way..."

"Erm...Sure..."

In all honesty, Max was not all too sure how to reply to that. Her expression showed she was sorry about it, but the unsettling feeling within him kept him from getting too comfty with the situation taking place.

"Please, give me a moment..." She said while getting a hold of her backpack and rummaging within for a moment before pulling out a black big mouth green water bottle and handing it to him "Here you go"

"A green water bottle?"

"Actually, it's Kiwi juice. I bought some during the trip" Replied Amelia with a smile "You see...We've been walking for quite a while, and you've been the one putting the largest amount of effort in this search, so at the very least I'd like be useful by sharing this with you"

The young man looked at the bottle, then at her for a moment or two of hesitation before finally getting a hold of it. Although he was still dubious, he had to try and start getting along with the other members of the group. Otherwise, it could spell bad news for him.

"(Wait...How do I even use this thing again?)" He thought while looking at it and sweat dropping "(And what does Kiwi even taste like in the first place?)"

Peace offerings and attempts for relationships aside, Max was slightly puzzled with how to even drink from the bottle, as he had never used one such as this before. He took part in sports and such things before, mostly due to Alex's constant requests, but such bottles were something he never used.

It took a moment for him to figure it out, but from the very few memories he had of Alex using his, he recalled that these bottles had a tip that had to be pushed upwards to unlock it. He did so, and a dry plastic sound echoed in response, meaning he had done it right.

Without wasting any time, he raised the bottle up and took a drink. Despite what he expected, it was a very sour and bitter, so much that he couldn't gulp it all down. In fact, it took quite a bit of a hardened stomach to avoid puking it all out.

"(Urgh...Kiwis...Taste way worse than I imagined...)" He thought while taking a breath of fresh air.

The young man was so focused on the bad taste that he failed to notice Amelia's expression. From the moment he saw his lips coming into contact with the bottle, a rather eerie smirk formed on her face, and it would only become even larger as he saw the effects of her "drink" to start taking effect.

"(Wha...?)" Thought Max as his vision began to blur, and everything began to spin "(Somehow...I'm really dizzy all of a sudden...)"

Along with the strange change in his vision, he also felt his head getting lighter, and his body growing numb by the second. He tried to get up and move, but he could not make his body obey. Instead, he swayed lightly from one side to the other before falling off the rock he was sitting on and plummeting on the ground, unconscious.

As he fell down into the world within his own mind, darkness took over everything. Remaining still for what felt like an eternity before voices began to echo around him.

"It's your fault...This was all your fault!" Said a middle-aged voice in the distance.

Among the echoing yells, the screams of a woman began to echo as well, along with a drawn out beep and the wailing cries of a baby, along with many other othe voices he couldn't identify, some of them saying random words and others having entire conversations on the background. As this endless storm of sounds began to get louder and louder, a light flashed in the distance, growing closer and closer, spelling the darkness away. And as the light began to engulf him, the noises began to die out one after the other, except for the drawn out beep, which only became duller, and two voices. One being the middle-aged man, and the other being a gentle, caring female voice.

"If only...If only...!" Said the middle-aged voice, cracking down with a despairing tone and seemingly breaking into tears as the beeping died out as well "IF ONLY YOU HADN'T BEEN BORN! ! !"

"Max...I'm sorry..." Added the female voice as the dull beep suddenly became louder, becoming the strongest sound, echoing hard enough to make everything else fade into the light

As the sound became strong enough make his eardrums burst and the light bright enough to blind him, the young man suddenly opened up his eyes and saw the blue skies, along with the leaves of the trees. For the first few seconds, he simply looked at it, his mind still drowsy and unable to understand what happened, but his eyes quickly widened when suddenly recalling what happened.

"(That's right!)" He thought while quickly sitting up "(I drank that odd Kiwi juice...and then...I felt drowsy all of a sudden...)"

While slowly getting up on his feet, the young man looked around him, searching for Amelia, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Amelia!? Where are you!?"

He looked all around him, but the green flower was nowhere to be seen within the vicinity. Quickly, he picked up his backpack and began to search for her. Even so, he failed to find her. His stomach felt like it could make him puke at any moment, and his limbs still felt slightly numb, but he couldn't stop right now.

"Wait...she might have gone back to the group!"

The concern that she may have been attacked by a wild animal was quickly replaced by the idea that Amelia may have returned in a hurry to the others. But at the same time it made him wonder. Why leave him behind? And more importantly, why did that drink suddenly made him fall asleep?

The only way to find out was to return, and so he made his way back.

By steadily skipping through the forest, he managed to return within the close vicinity in merely a few minutes. And certainly enough, he found two students wandering throughout the forests as well. It was somewhat strange, as he could recall those were among the people that never chose to move a finger, but perhaps Jared had managed to talk some sense into them and make them join the search. One way or the other, at least he had found people.

"Hey, you two!" He said while waving one hand over his head

Max quickly headed towards them, glad to have made it back, but as they slowly turned around to look at him, an eerie chill ran down his spine, almost as if warning him of danger.

Before he could even think about this feeling or react in accordance to it, a third student suddenly jumped out of nowhere and locked him into a grapple by the neck, making him lose balance and fall to the floor.

"I've got him! I got the bastard!" He yelled at the others while placing one knee over his back and a hand over his head, along with an arm behind his back to keep Max from getting up or even moving

"He-Hey! What are you-!?"

"Shut up, you son of a bitch!" Yelled the student while pressing his head tighter against the ground

Once seeing he was captured, the other two students quickly headed toward him and joined in on getting a hold of him, but not without giving him a short beating by kicking him in the gut and on the sides while he was still down.

"St-Stop it! Why are you-!?"

"I told you to shut up already!"

"(What's going on!? Why are they doing this!?)" Thought Max with strong confusion while covering his head with his arms.

They kept beaing him up for a moment longer before two of them got a hold of his arms each and dragged him back to the open lake-area where the group was gathered. Once there, he wasn't greeted any better than by the trio.

"There he is!"

"You sick bastard!" Yelled one of the female students on the back

Without any wait, everyone quickly gathered with him in the center. Some looking at him with irritation while others kept yelling insults at him. Max was utterly confused by this sudden wave of agression, and couldn't even do a thing, as his captors made sure to keep a tight grip on him.

After a moment of constant yelling, it slowly calmed down as two people stepped forward from the circle. One of them was Jared and the other was Amelia, who stood next to him. She didn't make eye contact with him even once.

"Jared!? What's going on here!?" Asked Max while looking at them, almost desperate for a proper answer before focusing on Amelia "Hey, what happened earlier!? Just what was in that-!?"

"Don't you dare talk to her, you douche!" Said one of the two students holding his arm while squeezing tighter on it

"That hurts!" He replied while looking at him "stop it already!"

"Why you-! Stop struggling!"

In instinctive response, Max tried to set himself free from the painful grapple, but this only caused his captors to become more agressive.

"What's going on here!? Why are you doing this!?"

"Don't play dumb! You know why!" Yelled one of the students on the circle

"How could you do that to her!?"

"You're sick!"

"Do what!? What are you all talking about!?"

"While searching for food..." Said Amelia to the Green student with teary eyes and a seemingly scared expression, making both him and Max look at her "We took a short rest, and he tried to make me drink a weird green substance...And after I became unable to resist, he forced himself on me!"

"Wha-What!?"

The young man's eyes became as wide as plates after hearing her confession. He couldn't believe what he was hearing right now. Amelia wasn't only lying right in everyone's faces, but she was accusing him of doing something outrageous.

"Wa-Wait a moment! What are you saying!?" Said Max while looking at her, shocked by this accusation "There's no way I'd ever-!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Jared took a step forward and punched the young man as hard as he could in the face. Not only did it hurt like hell, but it nearly broke his nose.

"(Ja...Jared?)" Thought the young man with a blank expression for a moment before looking at him once more

The expression on the green student's face was one of disgust and anger, along with strong dissapointment. He didn't even make eye contact with Max either.

"I knew you had a bad name back in your school..." He said with a low and irritated tone before finally looking at him in the eye "But I never thought you'd do such a horrible thing!"

"Bad name...?"

"What? Did you think we didn't know?" Said one of the students "We all knew the kind of guy you were from the get-go!"

"Max Rockwell...A student known for being constantly agressive with other people, especially with women...An unfixable misogynist!"

"They said you always were awful to everyone, and even punched women all the time!" Said another student "I can't believe they didn't expell you!"

"He's probably one of those rich kids that gets away with anything using his daddy's money!"

"Tha-That's wrong!"

"Like we'd believe you!"

"Go die, you beast!"

"That's right! Go die!"

Once again, the storm of insults started. Everyone treating him like an animal, a beast, a delinquent that deserved nothing more than to be despised and hated.

"(Why don't they believe me?)" He thought while looking at the angered, disgusted and despiseful faces around him "(Did people hate me this much?)"

Max knew people didn't like him. In fact, a lot of people had a rather strong dislike towards him and he knew it, but he never even imagined their hatred ran that deep. It always bothered him a bit, and the rumors were always exaggerated, but this amount of hatred was baffling, shocking even. So much that he was even unable to think, unable to understand.

As he looked at the faces around him, his eyes ended up focusing on Amelia once more, and what he saw made his irises shrink.

The woman that always acted friendly to everyone, even to him up to some extent, who tried to befriend him just mere moments ago, and who just accused him of raping her, had a condescending smirk on her face. Her eyes looking down at him with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction, as if seeing him in such a beat up and shocked state brought her pleasure. It was then that he realized it.

"(All this time...From the very beginning...)" He thought as a dark emotion began to swell up within the deepest parts of his gut "(She planned to set me up like this from the very beginning!?)"

Amelia had planned stabbing him from the back since the very first moment he joined the group. Despite acting friendly and smiling all the time, she was only doing it to charm people into taking her side.

Because of her popularity as one of the four flowers, she already had everyone's admiration, and she only increased it by offering to go along with everyone to gather berries, making herself look as reliable and determined to help. Not only that, but she took the chance to get closer to him, as well as obtaining some black berries, which were most likely what that green drink was made of.

All this time, she was brewing up a scheme to gain everyone over to her side as strongly as she could while using him, who was despised and hated, as a sacrificial pawn to further out this goal. And no matter what he said, no matter what he did, no one would believe him. Just one word from her was enough to make everyone attack him like this. Even Jared, who was so friendly and so much like Alex, was looking at him with the same disgust and spite as everyone else.

"You should go and die!"

"That's right! Go die!"

"I'll do it..."

"Eh?"

At that moment, the yelling became slightly less intense, but didn't completely stop. Among the students, some looked at Jared with cold sweats as he picked up a large rock with both hands.

"Wa-Wait...Are you really gonna do it?" Said one of the students with widened eyes

"Hey...I know he went and did something nasty, but isn't that a bit..." Muttered one guy to another

"It's fine, isn't it!?" Snarled one of the female students to the duo "If we let him go, he'll come back and attack us while we sleep!"

"But..." Said another female, who seemed unsure about the extreme measure "Is it really okay?"

"Are you saying you want him to rape you!?"

"N-No...I just...Killing a person is just..."

"We're not killing a person..."

Everyone then diverted their eyes and looked at Jared, whose eyes were focused on Max.

"We're not?"

"Wait! Are you telling me you got cold feet or-!?"

"We're not killing a person..." Repeated Jared one more time, the look in his eyes much darker than before "We're getting rid of an animal"

At that moment, Max's look became blank. He didn't say a single thing. He only looked as the person who smiled at him the most honestly, the person who he was starting to see as a possible friend, raised up the rock as high as he could, getting ready to lower it down like a gillotine on his head.

A bone chilling cold ran down his spine as he felt the intense fear of death overwhelming him. But the execution was suddenly cut short when a scream echoed from outside the circle. Everyone quickly turned to look at the source of it and saw a student crawling out of the woods, blood pouring from bitemarks in his arm and face.

"He-Help me!" He begged weakly while extending his hand towards them

Shock and doubt spread among the group, but it was quickly turned into fear as they saw a large lizard jumping out of the woods and standing over the injured student. It was a biped lizard with a crest on its head and two grills on the sides of its neck, hissing as it opened its jaws, filled with blood-stained teeth.

From within the forest, even more lizards of the same species began come out into view, slowly walking as they approached the group while the first one went ahead and bit on its victim's neck, breaking it and beginning to feed.

Most likely, a pack of dinosaurs roaming by heard the whole ruckus and thought of it as a good chance to get a meal.

"I-It's the monsters!"

"Run!"

Within mere seconds, the scene turned into utter chaos. Panic took over the students as they tried to escape from the pack of hungry dinosaurs, which spat some sort of venom at them. Some made it into the forest, while others got quickly captured and mauled and the most unlucky bunch got hit by the poisonous projectiles, being blinded before getting pinned down and devoured.

"Uwahhhhh! ! !"

"Kyahhh!"

"Stay away!"

"Ge-Get it off of me! Somebody help me, please!"

"I don't wanna die!"

"My eyes! I can't see!"

The place became a scene out of a horror movie. People getting eaten left and right, terrified screams and monstrous roars echoing all around the place. Meanwhile, Max, who was lying down on the ground after the two that kept a hold of him tossed him away and tried to escape, slowly raised his head, looking at the carnage taking place before one of the students fell right in front of him, their faces inches away. The young man looked at the dead guy's blood-stained face, filled with bite marks for a moment with a shocked expression before suddenly seeing one of the dinosaurs jumping over the corpe and bitting down on the neck, causing blood to gush out and, surely enough, making him react.

Quickly, he turned around and crawled away from the dinosaur before managing to get up on his feet and make a run for it. He had to dodge a few running students among the chaos, but managed to make it into the forest.

He ran and ran as fast as his beat up body could. The nubmness from before helped him take the beating a bit better, but now that it was wearing off, the aching in his muscles made the simple act of running quite taxing. But he couldn't allow himself to stop. There was no way he could stop. If he did, then there was a chance of him getting caught by the dinosaurs or even worse, by the other students.

By the time he felt his legs could fall off and that his lungs were about to spontaneously combust, his speed began to dwindle, forcing him to catch his breath. But just as he managed to regain it, one of the bushes began to rustle before a dinosaur jumped right out of it and towards him, pushing him to the ground.

"No!"

Max struggled to get the grilled monster away from him, but the creature refused to let his prey go. All he could do was attempt to avoid the bites. And in the midst of his struggle, he extended his hand in an attempt to reach something to break free, and suddenly got a hold of a rock, which he quickly used to smack the dinosaur on the eye with as much strength as he could. This brute impact was more than enough to injure the creature, causing it to fall sideways and twist in pain for a short moment, giving Max another chance to run away.

Again, he was forced to run for his life, pushing his way past the vegetation and dodging trees while panting heavily, not daring to look back. After running to the point of exhaustion once more, he made it out of the forest and ended up on the beach.

"(It...It won't follow me here, right?)" He thought with deep breaths

Slowly, he walked towards the shore with an unstead and wobbly step. His body was aching all over, both from exhaustion and from the brutal beating he received. He wished to, at the very least, take a sip of water, but his wobbly footsteps caused him to stumble and fall to the ground just a few feet from the water. He then began to crawl the remaining distance. Once he finally reached the cristal clear wather, Max dipped his hand into it and took a handful of fresh water, quickly taking it into his mouth and drinking as much as he could. It stinged the inside of his cheeks a little due to the the bruises, but the refreshing taste of water made him feel alive, almost as if he had been blessed with vitality once more. Never in all his life did water taste so good.

As he kept drinking his fill, the young man suddenly noticed his reflection on the water and looked at it for a moment in silence. His face, filled with purple bruises and swollen in one cheeck and the left eyelid, making it slightly difficult for him to see with that eye, as it was only partially open. Blood pouring from the edge of his mouth and from one of his nostrils.

Just looking at that beaten face made him try to touch his swollen cheek with one finger, but quickly moved it away after it began to ache strongly.

"(It hurts...)" He thought silently with one eye closed before opening it again and looking at his reflection once more

It was then that his mind recalled the brutal beating he received, the insults and agression from his classmates, from the people he saw everyday, the people he always walked by without ever even bothering to disturb.

"(It really hurts...!)" He thought once more, this time with tears swelling up on his eyes and falling down into the shore, fading away into like drops of rain into the endless streams of water

He always knew his unfriendly behavior caused him to become ostracized by his classmates, but he never harmed anyone in doing so. It was true that he got agressive sometimes, but never in all his life did he do such a thing as injuring someone. Yet, the dramatized rumors were taken as a fact by everyone without a second thought, and only because of Amelia's words, everyone instantly turned on him, beat him up and even tried to kill him. Making him feel like this just because of her words. Just because of one woman's words, he became an enemy, a criminal, an animal that had to be sacrificed merely for her to further her own agenda, for her own amusement.

"(A woman...)"

As his eyes remained focused on the reflection, his mind suddenly played back everyone's faces. The contorted, twisted grins of the faces he couldn't even discern properly anymore standing all around him, laughing and looking down at him, stroking their own sense of superiority by kicking dirt at him and making him up to be the vile one. And the most notorious one being Amelia herself. That satisfied, unsightly and disgustingly condescending grin on her face. Those eyes, filled with pleasure and pride at the sight of the misery she forced upon him by duping everyone around her. Just thinking about that face, and the mere idea of knowing that she had planned this all along and that he had been used like a dirty rag, made something emerge from within him. A dark, twisted feeling boiling up from within the depts of his gut.

Meanwhile, the blood dripping from his nose and mouth began to fall into the water, replacing the tears that had so suddenly stopped. As the sanguine liquid submerged into the water and dispersed like red fog, some of it dispersed around parts of his reflection, giving his once clear eye a redd-ish tone as it slowly changed from the sad and confused look to a much different one. A resentful and angered stare, filled with nothing but wrath as the voices of his clasmates, yelling at him to die, kept echoing within his head over and over again.

"(Die...? You want me to die?)" He thought with a lower, angered tone while clenching his teeth for a moment before suddenly punching the water, causing it to splash with a strong sound as he yelled out his answer to the voices within his head with an enraged expression "Don't fuck with me! ! !"

His fist, deep into the water and the sand alike, broke the reflection that once appeared crystal clear waters. The few fragments that remained unable to be discerned from what they used to be anymore.

As rage took over him, consuming his every thought, a hissing sound coming from a few feet behind him.

"Hm...?"

When turning around, he saw the dinosaur that attacked him early coming out of the woods. Its eye was injured badly due to the strong impact it received from the stone, and it certainly seemed pissed off about it, considering he chased him all the way to the beach.

"You're annoying, you know?" He said to the dinosaur while looking at him

The lizard, which didn't seem to even listen, instead hissed one more time while extending his membranes as an attempt to be intimidating, which had no effect on Max. At least not anymore.

"So that's how you want it..." Replied the young man to the threatening hiss while getting up on his feet "Fine by me!"

At that moment, a short silence went by as the two looked at each other before suddenly dashing forward. Max quickly jumped sideways to avoid the venom spit and the lunging dinosaur before picking up a branch and quickly stabbing it in the leg with the piece of wood. It didn't pierce quite as deeply as he had hoped, but the sudden attack along with the combined weight of his body were more than enough to make the dinosaur lose its balance and fall sideways on the ground.

Before it could even attempt to get up, Max got on top of it and grabbed one of the largest rocks he could find laying in the inmediate vicinity, using it to smack the dinosaur right in the face multiple times.

Over and over again, he kept lifting up the stone and lowering it down with as much force as he could.

"I'm not gonna die...I refuse to die!" He yelled with rage as he kept lifting and lowering the stone "I'm gonna make it out of this place! I'll go back and live! I'll outlive each and evey single one of you bastards! I'll outlive everyone in this fucking island!"

After what felt like an endless amount of rock smashing, Max finally stopped and looked down at his attacker while taking deep breaths. The dinosaur was long dead, its skull broken and bent out of shape, hardly different from a bloody, chunky mush. Both his hands and the rock stained in a deep red hue.

As he let go of the rock, the young man noticed that, during the struggle, the rag that was hidden under his clothes slipped out and fell over the dead dinosaur's corpse. He picked it up and looked at it for a moment or two before wrapping it around his head, covering the top of his skull and moving some of the bangs covering his eyes aside, but also casting a shadow over the upper part of his face.

"(I'll survive...)" He thought to himself while raising his head and looking at the sea, spreading far and beyond. A strong, yet ill determination born within him "(No matter the cost!)"


	3. Wilson, the Dodo

**Note from the author: 06/11/2017**

 **Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates as of late. I've been busy with finals, and my motivation for writing has been rather low as well, so I tried taking a small hiatus to see if that could help. I still haven't finished with my finals yet, but I'm already through with most of them and I've been itching to write lately, so I feel like I can finally return to it.**

 **For those of you who follow Blueflame Heart, I should have the next chapter ready before the month is over. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and have a good day!**

* * *

The sounds of stone creacking echoed as Max striked a large boulder with a pickaxe, shattering and splitting appart smaller rocks along with flint, which he picked up and stored in a backpack after gathering enough.

A week and half passed after dinosaurs attacked the group and forced everyone to scatter. Whetever the other students that sucessfully ran away from the attack managed to survive or not was a mistery, but the young man had little concern for them. Instead, he spent his time focusing on keeping himself alive and improving his survival skills.

At first it seemed and proved difficult as well, but soon things took a turn for the better thanks to the implant, which granted him the tools needed to survive.

Through the two days spent constantly gathering berries, along with killing the dinosaur that attacked him, the implant seemed to have undergone a proceedure that granted him a few EP. A mysterious numerical value capable of unlocking recipes referred to within the interface as "Engrams". When unlocked, the exact proceedure on how to manufacture such tools, along with the exact quantity needed to do so, suddenly became second nature to him, almost as if someone inserted the knowledge inside his brain.

He even discovered a bestiary within the interface, which held some information about dodos, and about the dinosaur he killed, which went by the name of "Dilophosaurus". An extinct dinosaur species that spit poison to hunt prey.

From gathering all sorts of resources such as flint, rock, wood, tatch and fiber with a hatchet and a pickaxe to hunting for food or fending off attacking dinsoaurs with a spear. All of them straining tasks for his unacustomed body at first, but he slowly became able to do them more easily with each passing day, becoming almost accustomed to it after a week.

The tools he gathered from the engrams not only made many of these tasks possible, but also much more easily manageable and less time-consuming. And even better, constantly repeating this process of gathering and fighting also helped him gain more EP, which he used to unlock even more recipes. Although only a few, they were more than enough for the time being.

"(All right...This should do for today...)" He thought while checking the amount of resources he gathered and counting carefully on the way back to his homebase

Although referred to as a homebase, it was merely a small campfire located on the beach. Usually such a thing could be considered dangerous since it could attract animals, but the beach was rather peaceful during nightime, and very few animals roamed during daytime either, as the only food source that can be found in the vicinity were berries.

Of course, there were also the unusually large sharks swimming on the ocean or crocodiles roaming the small and shallow rivers, but the sharks were quite a distance away from the shore, making them quite harmless as long as one didn't venture too far into the water, and the crocodiles populated the river far to the west, and they hardly bothered traveling far from there either due to the lack of prey. And even if they did, they were rather easy to take down with a few well-aimed spear stabs on the head.

Certainly, creatures such as giant crocodiles and poison-spitting dinosaurs were a rather terrifying sight for any normal person, but Max found it easier to control his fear after he managed to kill one of them. Through one fight after the other, the fear slowly subsided and eventually became almost non-existant. Right down to the point where he could engage them in combat without even flinching. Was it because he simply got used to it? Or did he truly become impervious to them?

One way or the other, it didn't really matter, or at least that's what he said to himself.

While the fish he hunted with his spear during the afternoon were cooking over the fire, the young man took a moment to analyze the list new recipes he could unlock. Most of them were centered around buildings structures while others relied more on survival on the spot. Tools meant for journeys, battle, and traveling without getting lost. These were the ones he chose, as they'd be more useful in the near future and he had no desire to engage in such a time-consuming action that could easily result in attracting worse dinosaurs or even other humans. Instead, he chose objects that could make traveling easier or that could be used and carried around easily, such as a compass or a torch, along with other few. Items such as a mortar and pestle were chosen too, as they could create useful materials and be put into a rucksack to carry around. Well, more than a rucksack, a large bag made out of hide and fiber, but it was better than nothing.

Also, he had spent a few points on hide and cloth clothes as well, since they were rather simple to make and could be useful to replace his current garbs. A school uniform, while good for educational standards, was not exactly a very practical set of clothing for fighthing dinosaurs and adventuring through forests.

With the sleeves of the blazer already shredded, he was forced to tear them off, making his blazer into a sort of vest. The shirt didn't suffer much damage yet, but he rolled up the sleeves all the way to the elbow so they wouldn't get in the way. There was some damage on his pants as well, but it wasn't severe enough to need a replacement.

"Well...I guess this should do for now..." He said to himself before closing the interface and looking at the fish once more, then picking one from the trio

He stared at the fish for a moment in silence before taking a bite out of it, chewing for a bit before swallowing and looking at it again, but this time with a slight mixture of irritation and dissapointment.

"(Damn it...Again...)"

Despite properly gutting, cleaning and cooking the fish, there was one slight problem. It had no taste at all.

Ever since the incident that led him to be on his own, everything that he ate lost taste. In a way, it was like eating cardboard.

At the start he chalked it off to the beating he received temporarily numbing his taste buds, but the wounds on his face and body already healed quite a while ago, with hardly any noticeable left-over damage to see.

In truth, It was a rather exasperating problem, but nonetheless, the meat and berries still served as a source of nutrition. Even if eating them was unpleasant, it didn't stop him from doing so in order to survive.

After he had eating his fill of fish, the young man put out the fire and went to sleep with his stone hatchet in hand and ready, just in case he was abruptly woken up by a night assailant. So far he didn't get attacked while sleeping even once, but something about having a weapon to protect himself always close at hand was relieving and made him fall asleep easier.

The following day, he woke up early as always and went to fill up his waterskin with water before going on a short trip to gather a few berries, as he already had enough resources to keep his tools in top shape and build more just in case the situation required it.

Fortunately, there were a few berry bushes not too far from where he was currently camping at. And although dinosaurs were a frequent sight there, most of them had a peaceful demeanor, only attacking if they get attacked first.

"(All right...this much should last a day or two)" He thought after going from bush to bush, gathering berries and placing them in a small bag made of hide.

While checking out what he obtained, the young man looked at the bush once more and noticed a black berry hidding within its small leaves.

As he quietly looked at it, the little black berry made his mind recall Ameila, which was nothing short of an unpleasant memory. His expression changed into a sour one as he clicked his tongue after a short moment of silence and suddenly got up, heading back to his homebase without even looking back at the bush.

Back in his base, he sat down in front of the extinguished campire and placed the small bag next to himself, picking up one berry at a time and eating them slowly. Unfortunately, the taste of cardboard, along with that earlier flashback, didn't exactly make for a very pleasant lunchtime. He only ate about eight or so before stopping and instead focusing sharpening the rock tip of his spear and hatchet.

Through rinsing one stone against the other, he slowly sharpened the edge of the hatchet and the tip of his spear. It was a lenghty and dull process, and the sharpness wasn't exactly god-like in terms of appearance, but a well honed stone edge had a much easier time cutting through wood and flesh than a dull one. The mental image of a sharpened spear digging deep into a dilophosaur's flesh like a knife through butter and a sharp hatchet chopping off it's neck in one clean swing was a pleasure that made the effort more than worth it. He had yet to do such a thing as chopping a dinosaur's head off in one swing, but there was no harm in having ambitions.

While checking the egde of his hatchet, the young man suddenly heard a footsteps in the sand behind him, causing him to react by instantly leaping forward and quickly turning around. His sharpened weapon at hand and ready to be used without hesitation. What he saw, though, was everything but threatening.

Standing in the sand was a Dodo, rummaging through the bag of berries with it's beak in an attempt to snatch a few of the colourful foods.

"A Dodo?"

Max looked at the bird for a moment or two with a mixture of surprise and confusion before sighing with relief.

Due to their small size and slow movement speed, Dodos were really hard to notice sometimes. Their rather absent-minded and peaceful nature could also make it easy for these birds to sneak up on anyone since they lacked the ability to produce killing intent, which while not some sort of supernatural aura like one could see in movies and anime, it was still a behavioral pattern that made someone's presence more promintent and imposing.

Usually some predators were capable of hiding this behavior in order to hunt more efficiently, but others lacked the ability to do so, as their imposing size and strength made them unstopable even when faced-head on. Dodos, on the other hand, were uncapable of even the slightest hint of agression, hence making them unable to produce such killing intent. In a way, it made them an easy prey, but it also made them hard to hunt down when hidden from view and rather efficient at sneaking around.

"(Is it this one again?)" He thought with certain irritation while looking at the bird, noticing it was the one that found him washed ashore the other day

It wasn't rare for dodos to wander by this part of the island, and even come close to his homebase, but none ever got in and approached him as boldly as this one. Ever since it found the young man a week ago, this Dodo wandered by and came into the base without the slightest hesitation or fear. Perhaps it was because of how Max treated it kindly and fed it before, or perhaps because he simply didn't eat him yet. One way or the other, the Dodo always came by to feast on the leftover berries that he didn't eat.

At first the young man thought about simply eating the Dodo, but he felt like killing such a creature wasn't worth the effort, especially when he could get twice the amount of meat from fish close to the shore. It seemed like this way of thinking made the Dodo see him as a friendly individual, rather than a dangerous predator.

He didn't really consider the bird's "visits" as something that could make his life difficult, but rather the part it kept being so sneaky as something irritating. Kind of like a pesky neighbour that kept coming by when you least expected him and didn't know when to bugger off.

"I swear, if you keep sneaking up on me like that, I'll turn you into dinner" Said the young man, attempting to sound slightly threatening "You know that, right?"

In response to this threat, the Dodo simply raised his head to look at him for a moment in silence before tilting it slightly, as if confused as to whatever he meant.

"It's like I'm talking to a rock..." Said the young man while sweat dropping "No...Somehow, I get the feeling the rock would understand better than you..."

The Dodo chirped in response to his words, as if to attempt to confirm he was indeed listening.

"Yeah, at least you're listening...I guess I can give you that..." Replied Max while scratching the top of his head "Still, don't pretend you understand what I'm saying..."

With the young man accepting he was indeed listening to him, the Dodo chirped once more before digging it's beak back into the small bag. All while Max looked at him and sighed once more.

"Fine, I get it already...You want them, don't you?" He said while taking a hold of the bag and loosening the cord, making the bag far looser and allowing the Dodo to dig his beak easier, something which he seemed to appreciate by the way he suddenly began to feast on the berries even faster "Just go ahead and eat them already...I'd rather have you gulp down the rest than let them spoil and have the bag stink later"

Max watched the bird eat his fill, completely emptying the bag within less than a minute before chirping happily and slowly walking away.

"Stop coming by, you hear!? I'm not your drive-thru!"

Despite his words, the Dodo didn't even seem to pay attention and kept walking away, cheerful for having a full belly

"(It didn't leave a single one...)" He thought while picking up the now empty container and dangling it around "(Man, that bird sure eats a lot for something so small...)"

Although he got rid of the excess berries, the young man felt like this would keep taking place over and over again. In a way, he was gathering berries for the bird, rather than for himself at this point.

It was at this moment that he suddenly realized something about his conversation with the Dodo, and that was the fact he just had a conversation with a Dodo.

"Or rather...Why am I talking so casually with a bird?" Said Max to himself with a slight mixture of surprise and concern in his expression while breaking a cold sweat "I'm not going crazy...Am I?"

On hindisight, attempting to establish conversation with a bird that didn't knew how to talk or even understand was a odd thing to do. It even made him worry whetever he was starting to lose his ability to discern reality.

"We-Well...Either way, I have to stop feeding it so much...Otherwise it'll never stop coming back" He said with his eyes closed and a more calm expression "Okay, It's decided! Tomorrow I'll chase it out if it comes back!"

He already had a hard enough time keeping himself alive and fed as it was. Keeping both him and the Dodo fed would put an extra and unnecessary strain on his survival efforts. It was a cold-hearted choice, but a logical one nonetheless.

As he returned to sharpening his tools, the young man's ears suddenly caught the noise of yelling. But it wasn't a human's yelling. Instead, it was a bird's yelling.

When hearing these yellings, he suddenly thought about the bird and, without even thinking, ran towards the noise with his spear and hatchet in hand.

After crossing over a few small mounds of sand, the young man saw the Dodo from earlier being surrounded by Dilophosauruses. The terrified bird running around in circles, attempting to escape and screaming at the top of his lungs as the reptiles surrounded him, enclosing him in a circle.

"(Shit...That dumb bird!)" He thought while heading towards it, but suddenly stopping in his place

Looking at the situation more carefully, there were four Dilos cirling it. And the young man had only ever taken down around two max. Any more than that was a risky move to take, and he knew it. In other words, there was no way to help the Dodo survive.

"Damn it..."

It was a cruel choice, but he couldn't risk his own life for the bird. Even if he didn't like it, there was no way he could take down five of those reptiles in one go.

He thought about leaving, he even tried to leave, but his feet wouldn't move, his eyes wouldn't look away. He wasn't sure why, but a part of him couldn't simply look or walk away from this. After paying some attention to the scene, he quickly understood why, though.

"Why...aren't they eating it?"

Despite their larger number, the Dilos didn't eat the Dodo, or even tried to kill it either. Instead, they kept shooting poisonous goo at his feet, making it jump around in a panic and headbutting it back to the center whenever he tried to escape through a gap. It was a rather inefficient tactic for hunting prey. But that's because it wasn't a hunt, it was a beating.

The reptiles were playing around with the bird, toying with it and mauling it around for fun rather than to feed. They just wanted to torture the bird and humiliate it before getting bored and most likely killing it. All of it just because the Dodo was weaker than them and they had the advantage in numbers.

"(Are you kidding me?)" He tought with an irritated expression and a popped vein while clenching his teeth

Looking at this scene suddenly made the young man recall his own beating, but this time from an outsider's perspective. If he were to ignore this, if he were to walk away now, then how would he be any different from those people?

Without the slightest hesitation, Max held his spear up to face-level and moved it backwards before launching it with as much strength as he could. The stone weapon flew through the air and towards the reptiles, hititng one right through the eye and impaling it in the brain, instantly killing it.

"Hey, you dumb lizard!"

As the other Dilos looked at the dead one falling down on the ground like a ragdoll, their attention was suddenly taken by a loud yelling, which made them turn their heads and see Max leaping at them, his axe in hand and ready to chop down some Dinosaur meat.

"Pick on someone your own size!"

In a split second, the young man swung his hatchet as hard as he could, using both his own weight and the stone's sharpened edge to chopp right into the skull of another Dilo and killing it. Although his hatchet ended up stuck rather deeply on the dinosaur's skull.

The remaining three hissed at him, their membranes expanding in a threatening way as he pulled get back the hatchet, but to little result.

Seeing the chance, the Dilos began to shoot spit poison at him, but the young man managed to pull out the axe and quickly jumped sideways, avoiding them by inches before getting ready for the incoming attacks. He swung his hatchet at the lunging lizards, keeping their jaws away and injuring them whenever they got too close. Unfortunately, the fight was proving difficult, and his stamina was quickly running out. This resulted in his attacks bearing less power behind them and his speed decreasing.

In an attempt to corner him, one of the Dilos leapt at him head-on, but the young man managed to dodge it and chopped the dinosaur right in the top of the head, breaking through it's skull and causing it to drop dead on the floor. But this sacrifice didn't go to waste, as another one quickly moved in and managed to bite into his leg, piercing through his flesh.

"Argh!"

Due to his injury, the young man fell to the floor, hitting his back against the sand as the other Dilo took the chance to jump over him and try to bite his neck, but Max reacted quickly by putting his forearm in front of him as a shield, getting it bit instead. A short struggle took place before the young man swung his hatchet once more, stabbing the second Dilo right in the head and killing it as well. But this last slash caused the hatchet's already worn out wooden handle to crack and tear in half, breaking in half as the stone blade remained stuck in the dilo's head.

With all their comrades fallen, the last Dilo took it upon itself to leap on top of Max to try and land the killing blow, but the young man refused to go down. Using his forearm to keep the Dilo's jaws at bay, although it wasn't very likely he could hold on for much longer, as the bite he received from the other dinosaur was hurting rather badly, making the muscles in his forearm throb and sting as if they were being dipped in fire. Slowly, his arm's strength was beginning to waver, allowing the jaws to get closer and closer. Unless he found a way out of this one, he would become dinosaur chow.

Desperately trying to find a way, he looked all around him for something that could help, and it was then that he saw the first Dilo he killed. After it fell dead on the groun, the spear, which pierced through one side and came out through the other, cracked around the tip due to the dinosaur's weight, making the stone tip break free and lay down on the sand a short distance from it.

Max extended his hand and tried to get it, but his fingers could not reach, no matter how hard he tried. It seemed as though that would be the end of him, but everything suddenly changed when he saw the Dodo walking closer to it, then alternating between looking at the stone for a moment before approaching the stone and pushing it towards him with his beak.

It would be a lie to say the young man wasn't surprised, but it wasn't exactly the time to dwell in thought. Quickly, he took a hold of the stone tip and used it to stab the Dilo's throat. Blood poured out like a waterfall from the dinosaur's throat as its strength faded away and it fell dead over Max within mere moments.

Using both arms, he pused the dead lizard aside, making it fall next to him before stretching on the ground and taking deep breaths.

"Ha! How's that for skill...!" He said with a smirk, his head resting on the sand, and his eyes focused on the sky.

Although he felt like crap and both his forearm and foreleg hurt quite badly, he was still alive. Not only that, but he won.

After laying down on the sand for a moment longer, Max got back up on his feet and headed back to the homebase, almost limping back from his injuries.

During the afternoon, he took care to make a few bandages for his arm and leg using some hide. It didn't heal him up right away, but at least it helped avoid further bleeding or chance for infection. It also helped that a Dliophosaur's teeth weren't large enough to pierce his arteries, nor its bite was strong to reach them. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have suffered an infection either, as he didn't have a fever, nor did the pain of his injuries increase.

"(Okay...That should do it)" He said while fastening his bandages, then clenching his hand a few time.

The injuries still hurt, but at least it didn't get any worse than now. If anything, it was a small price to pay in exchange of making it out of that fight alive. And he wasn't the only one to do so either.

The Dodo nested right next to him, wishing to be as close as it could to his savior while he sat down cross-legged in front of the campfire.

"You...Just how long are you planning to stay this time?" Asked Max while looking at the bird with an expression that showed he was not amused at all "I don't have any berries, you know?"

In response to his question, the bird looked at him and chirped happily.

After dragging himself back, the Dodo followed after him and didn't just linger around for a moment before leaving like always. This time, it remained with him and didn't move despite nightime arriving and not having a single berry in sight. Most likely, this would not change by tomorrow. The Dodo was there to stay.

"Oh, whatever...Do what you want" He said while turning his head forward once again with his eyes closed "Just don't start chirping in the middle of the night...At least I'd like t o sleep a little"

The Dodo, seemingly understanding Max accepted his desire to stay, chirped happily once more before resting its head against his tight. While he did this, the young man opened his eyes looked at his new feathered companion once more.

"(Guess I'll have to start gathering even more berries from now on)"

He felt like the increased need for even more food could become a troublesome thing in the near future. But a part of him didn't really mind it all that much.

*Scene*

The wind blew through the place, swiftly moving about with a soft sound that complimented that of the waves, which kept going back and forth in a constant, almost hypnotic pace, as if the oceans didn't hold a single care in the world. In a way, it was a very peaceful and relaxing view, but it also gave off an eerie feeling. A feeling that something was off, out of place.

"Hey, Wilson, don't you think it's weird?" Said Max while sitting down on the sand, basking under the sun and looking at the blue ocean. Its crystaline waters reflecting the sun's light like a mirror "This place, I mean..."

While the oceans, sand and pretty much everything else was as real as it could get, there was something oddly unnatural about it. Despite being such a silent place, one couldn't hear a thing. Not the sound or sight of jets flying at very high distances, nor the sound of seagulls, which did appear every once in a while around islands such as this one while migrating. Even though weeks went by, he didn't see nor hear any of this. Another odd detail was the rather soft temper of this place's nature.

Even though everything signaled at this being a tropical island, he had yet to see one of the constant storms they were very well-known for. The harshest change of weather he faced so far was rain, and even that felt stagnant and soft in comparison to what he heard about or saw in documentals.

Breaking his thought process, a sudden chirp coming from Wilson, which was the name the young man decided to give the Dodo, echoed as the bird stood next to him in reply to his question.

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't notice it. You were born here, after all..." He said while looking at the bird, then at the ocean once more "Still...Something's off about this place...Like, it doesn't feel natural at all..."

"I'm telling you, it has to be around here!"

"How can you be so sure?"

Max dwelled deep into thought again, but it was cut short once more. This time, by the sound of two people arguing. Almost inmediately, he picked up Wilson, wrapping one arm around him and taking a hold of his spear with the other while dashing towards a bush to hide in. Shortly afterwards, two people walked into view. One of them had a tomahawk hairstyle and a goatee, he was dressed in leather clothing and seemed to be in his early thirties. He carried a bow and arrows while the other was dressed in what seemed like a torn and worn out business suit. He was older than the first one by quite a few years, most likely already close to hitting middle-age judging by his elderly look and rather skinny body. He carried around a stone spear, although it didn't look like he knew very well how to use it.

"Look, a campfire!" Said the first one while getting closer to it and checking it out "I knew someone was here!"

"How do you know whoever made it didn't just leave already?"

"No, it's recent...very recent" Replied the first while carefully analyzing the wood and charcoal "The wood looks recent...Probably used last night..."

"Then where is that person now?" Asked the second once more

"Probably getting food or something like that..."

The two looked at the campfire for a moment or two before the first got back up and looked at his surroundings.

"All right, we'll find a place to hide and ambush him when he comes back..."

"Hey, Boris...Is this really a good idea?" Asked the second, sounding slightly hesitant and fearful "I mean, he could probably be with a large group...And even if he isn't, killing another human being is just-"

"Stop acting like a wimp already!"

The first one turned around and grabbed the middle-aged office worker by the collar of his shirt.

"Eeek!"

"You sure like acting all moral and bitchy now, but you never said a damn thing when we had those Dilos go around hunting big game to keep your lazy ass fed, did you now!?"

"Tha-That's..."

"Well, guess what? Those Dilos are dead now, so man up and grow a pair!" Said the first while letting go of the second, then looking at his surroundings "Taming those lizards was a total pain in the ass, and that barstard went and killed them all! I'm not gonna rest till I find him split his head in half with a rock!"

"(Taming? So those Dilos were his?)" Thought the young man while spying from the bushes as he suddenly recalled how the Dilos mauled Wilson around, toying around with him for fun, which made his expression turn into one of silent anger "(So that's where they learned it from...Should've known better...)"

"You stay here in case he comes back. I'll go search around and see if i can get the jump on him" Said the first while turning around and walking away into the forest "And don't you dare let him get away if you see him!"

"Ye-yeah, I understand..."

Once the first man left, the second sat down in front of the campfire and sighed with exhaustion.

"Dear God, that guy will be the death of me..." He said with his eyes closed "Just because those monsters got killed, now he wants to for vengeance...As if that helped our chance of getting out of here..."

While the middle-aged man moped in front of the campfire, Max considered this to be the perfect chance to sneak away.

After looking at Wilson and gesturing him to remain silent for a little longer, he slowly came out of the bush, sneaking some distance away from one of his assailants carefully, as to avoid making any noise. Each step light yet steady as he crouched away, gaining more and more distance while keeping his eyes focused on the middle-aged man.

When it seemed as though he had managed to get enough distance, a loud cracking noise echoed from his feet. Due to his focus being mostly on the potential threats, his eyes failed to notice the smaller branches of driftwood layered around all the place, some of them hidden among the pockets of grass in the sand.

"Eh?" Said the middle-aged man while turning his head, then seeing Max. His expression changing into one of shock and fear when noticing the sharp stone spear "U-Uwaaaahhhh! Pl-please don't kill me!"

Most likely, he misunderstood the situation and thought that the young man was trying to sneak up on him, rather than sneak away from him. This, naturally, caused him to panic.

"(Sh-Shit!)"

Without wasting a second, Max turned around and ran away as fast as he could while the terrified man pointed at him.

"Boris! Boris! It's him! He's here!" He yelled while pointing at Max "Please help me! Heeeeelp!"

"What's wrong!? The hell are you yelling about!?" Said Boris after suddenly running out of the forests, lured by his companion's screams

"It's that guy! He's over there!"

Looking at the direction the finger was pointing at, Boris saw Max running away and didn't hesitate to give chase.

"Hey, you bastard! Get back here right now!"

Seeing he was being chased, the young man began to run even faster and without any concern about the homebase. He pretty much left everything except his spear and waterskin behind, but it also helped his step to be much lighter that way and gave him an advantage over his pursuer.

"Damn it! Don't think you're getting away!" Yelled the angered man "I'm gonna kill you for taking out my Dilos, you little prick!"

Without any warning, Boris took out his bow and began firing arrows at him. He was quite accurate with them, even when running, but the young man's speed, along with the good decision of keeping his head lowered, made him a harder target to hit than the dinosaurs he probably used to hunt a lot with that bow.

As he kept running, he eventually reaching a large lake that led into the ocean. Fortunately, a few pockets of land made a viable path along with a much larger number of dinosaurs that he had seen before, including a few new ones such as brachiosaurs, but this wasn't the most shocking part about such a view.

Just a relatively close distance away, a massive structure floated high up in the skies. It was large enough to make even the huge brachiosaurs look like they were toy-sized in comparison, and had a blinding green pillar of light coursing through the center, going from the ground below to the skies above, getting lost from view.

"(Whoa...)" He thought while looking at the massive alien-like structure before an arrow suddenly flew past him, merely missing his head by inches and making snap back into the current situation "Whoa!"

Max quickly moved once more, using the small mini-islands to cross through without going too deep into the waters, as his mobility would be severely hindered by this, along with being threatened by the large pirhanas swimming around and the large crocodiles resting around the place. Fortunately, the young man managed to slip by the latter without getting too close, causing Boris to be the one they went after first instead due to him dashing closer to them. This, in turn, earned him enough time to make it to the other side of the river and to venture into the forest, hoping it would be enough to lose him.

At first he didn't run into the forest and went down the beachline out of fear he might be ambushed by one of Boris's group, which could probably be larger than those two if they managed to get a hold of four Dilos, and to avoid running into any dangerous dinosaurs by mistake, with the more open space of the beach making it easier to spot them. But now that he had crossed the river, the chances of ambush by his pursuer's group were rather low. The chance of encountering predators was still there, but it was a risk he'd have to take for now.

The vegetation was thick and his stamina was already giving out on him, not to mention the bite on his foreleg was doing him no favors either. Despite being mostly healed up, he could still feel his foreleg's muscles throbing in pain due to the strenuous task they were forced to do. Every single step feel like someone was pressing a piece of red steel against it, yet he did his best to bear it and keep moving. Otherwise, it could mean his death.

After what felt like an endless race through dense vegetation, he came out of the forest and reached an open cliff. Seeing the obelisk now at his left, rather than in front of him, made him realize he must have crossed quite a distance, but also that he must have stopped going on a straight line at some point.

"(A dead end!?)"

Unfortunately, this place didn't offer much in the way of safety or hiding. The long fall didn't seem like a very safe escape either.

"There you are!"

Upon hearing a voice behind him, Max turned around and saw his pursuer coming out of the forest. He seemed a bit bruised up, but also quite irritated.

"(Shit!)"

"Nowhere to run now!"

"Wait a moment! You don't need to do this!"

"What? You think I'm just gonna leave your ass untouched after killing my Dilos!?"

"They were attacking my Dodo!"

"Your Dodo?" Asked Boris with a raised eyebrow before noticing the young man was holding Wilson under his arm "Wait...You...You killed five Dilos just to save one of those dumbass birds!?"

"He's not a dumb bird! Also, your Dilos weren't just trying to eat him, they were toying around with him!"

"Of course they would! That's the whole point!"

"Eh?"

"Now listen here! Dodos are literally the most useless and weakest animals here!" Explained Boris with an irritated expression while pointing at him "They can't fight for shit, can't carry anything at all and are slow and dumb as hell too! Heck, the only thing they're somewhat good for is getting eaten, and even then they suck at it! It's just a given something that useless would get snacked on by everything else!"

"You...!"

This time, the anger was appearing on Max's face instead. One thing was killing for food, but this man's reasoning went far beyond the treshold of killing for survival and ventured deep into killing for sport.

If someone killed a Dodo because they needed to eat, then that was one thing, but killing it for fun or just because the Dodos were weak animals was something completely different. Not only Dodos, but killing anything in large or small quantities for fun was already outrageous enough.

"Whatever, as if a Dodo-loving wimp like you could get it..." Said Boris, already growing impatient with the conversation, while reaching out for an arrow from his holster, but couldn't get anything "(Damn it...I wasted them all on those crocs?)"

With no more arrows at his disposal, the man placed his bow and holster down on the ground and pulled out his hatchet from his belt, tossing it up to make a little spin before getting a hold of it again.

Seeing persuasion wouldn't work, and escape routes weren't available either, the young man put Wilson down and let it walk away from the fight while taking a proper hold on his spear.

"(Stay calm...I don't need to kill him)" He thought to himself as sweat ran down the side of his face "(I just need to knock him out, then make a run for it again...)"

A short moment of silence went by as Max and Boris looked at each other, one ready to fight for his life and the other ready to take it, before the latter suddenly ran forward and attacked.

Dodging and blocking the hatchet's constant slashes, the young man focused on trying to strike back with the opposite end of his spear, but it was suprisingly difficult to do, or at least when it came to hitting hard enough to knock him out. And Boris's attacks weren't just random strikes either. They were well-aimed and had quite a strong punch behind them.

"Come on! Is that all you've got!?"

The constant exchange of attacks lasted for at least a moment or two before Boris suddenly slidding his leg in a low arc, getting a hold of the young man's foot and pulling on it, causing him to trip down and fall to the floor, his spear slipping away from his hands and lying down just inches away from the edge of the cliff as Boris quickly took the chance to get on top of him and slash down his hatchet, trying to hit him in the face with it.

"Stay put, damn it!"

"Like hell I'm doing that!"

The tomahawk man kept slashing down while Kenji moved his upper body from one side to the other, sometimes barely avoiding the sharp stone edge by inches. Boris took a hold of one of the young man's forearm's to try and keep him still, pressing his fingers tightly on the bite marks.

"(Urgh!)"

The throbbing feeling caused by his fingers pressing on the wound was just as if he was being bitten all over again, but somehow he managed to keep himself focused.

"Once I'm done with your ass, I'm gonna chop your body to pieces and tame me some new Dilos with it!"

With each strike, the blade got closer and closer to hitting the mark, but things took a turn after Wilson suddenly approached them and startepd to smack Boris's side with his beak. Needless to say, it hardly worked, but the man got rather annoyed by this.

"Fuck off, you fat bird!"

While he got distracted from pushing the Dodo away, Max quickly took the chance and looked around him to see a rock. Without hesitating, he took a hold of it and smacked Boris right in the face with it as he turned to look at him, striking him right in the nose and breaking it.

"Augh!"

Now with a short window of time, the young man wiggled one of his legs free and used it to kick the man in the stomach, pushing him away and making him fall to the floor while he was still using one hand to cover his bloodied and broken nose. He quickly then crawled away, going after his spear to defend himself, but Boris noticed tihs after moving his hand away and got up on his feet. A tighter grip on his hatchet as he walked towards Max with an even stronger killing intent than before.

"Why, you-! You're dead!" He said while leaping forward, hatched in both hands and ready to be swung down into his head

In a last struggle, Max streched out his hand and caught his spear. Acting out of reflex. he quickly turned around and held his weapon with both hands. Boris, who wasn't able to react nor stop himself in mid-jump, headed straight for the sharpened tip, which pierced right through his chest. With Max's steady grip, along with Boris's own body weight, the stone tip pierced through muscle and tissue with ease, impaling his heart and lung almost effortlesly.

"Eh?"

Both of them remained baffled for a moment, seemingly unable to react for almost a moment before Boris lowered his head and looked at the stone tip piercing into him, and then looked at Max again, who was equally shocked. The hatchet slipped off of his hands and fell to the floor as blood began to coat the spear and turning it to a dark, deep tone of red. He seemed to try and say something for a moment, but no words came out. Instead, all he could do was cough blood, some of it flying far enough to stain the young man's face, although he didn't react to it.

Slwoly, Boris took a step back, sliding the stone tip out of him and showing a deep wound, blood pouring out from it at an alarming rate. He tried placing his hand on the wound, but it was of no use. With a large hole in his heart and a pierced lung drowning in his own blood, there was no longer anything he could do but wait.

In a last attempt, he tried walking towards the young man, but tripped and fell off the cliff. Max, who just snapped out of his trance, quickly got up and leaned down the edge, seeing Boris fall all the way down like a ragdoll before smacking against the ocean, making a strong splashing sound. Shortly after, his body came afloat, the water around him turned a misty red. This, in turn, attracted Megalodons, which certainly didn't hesitate to take a bite of the snack floating in front of them as one took the initiative and chomped on his torso, dragging his body underwater beyond Max's sight. A large cloud of deep red formed on the water, along with a few bubbles, as the Megalodons struggled against eachother underwater, tearing the dead man's body appart to devour his flesh.

Once he had enough of the morbid scenery, Max moved away from the edge and laid on all four. An urge to vomit overcame him as he placed one hand over his mouth to hold it back. When the urge seemed to calm down, the young man came to realize a warm and wet feeling on his cheeck and fingers. Upon moving his hand away and taking a look, he saw Boris's blood staining his fingers. This also made him realize his face was stained with it as well.

In a panic, he quickly tried to wipe it away using his remaining sleeve, but did nothing more than make the stain even wider.

"Boris!?" Yelled the middle-aged man in the distance "Boris! Where are you!?"

Upon hearing the voice coming from the shore just a short distance away, Max turned his head and looked at the source.

The middle-aged man, most likely out of fear of being left by himself and from not wanting to wait for Boris any longer, tried to follow after them.

Not even able to think about anything other than escaping, Max quickly took a hold of his spear, along with Boris's bow and holster, and ran away into the forest while Wilson followed after him as best as he could.

After nearly an hour of constantly running away, the young man took a rest to wash his face and hands in a nearby river. rinsing and rinsing for longer that he could account for. The blood long gone after a few minutes, but the stain he truly wished to wash away still there and planning to stay.

By the time nightfall arrived, he finally gave up on rinsing and returned to the forest to search for a place to spend the night. He couldn't make a campfire due to the possibility of attracting other humans or predators, but he didn't mind it all that much, as he didn't get much sleep anyway.

On that day, Max survived to fight another day, but this time, he did so at the cost of another human being's life.

*Scene*

Trecking through the forests seemed challenging, but soon proved to be easier than expected. Lakes and rivers to fill his waterskin were easy to come by, and bushes filled with berries were everywhere, besides from the dinosaurs he could hunt down to eat. On the latter choice, the bow proved especially handy. He had to use up a few engram points to learn how to craft arrows, but they soon paid him back for the troubles in spades. Not only could hunt down dinosaurs that ran faster than him, but he could also make them in bulk without needing to waste too many resources. This was part of what also motivated him to learn the bow engram as well, since this meant he could make a new bow if the current one broke or got lost.

A part of him felt like the choice of grabbing the bow and holster back then was irrational for the situation, but now he was glad to have done so. The bow served both as both an efficient hunting tool and weapon to fend off predators from a distance, and it was especially effective at doing this when the arrows were coated in narcotics, which he made by using a smaller mortar and pestle he carried around with him. And besides, it wasn't like Boris would have any further use for it anyway.

Regarding that incident as well, the young man got over it surprisingly fast. It was difficult for him to get some decent sleep during the first day or so, but exhaustion quickly made its work on him. His mind as well seemed to accept the fact he killed a person fast enough. Part of it was mostly because he had already made up his will to survive, and also because deep down, he knew he would stumble upon more people, and when that time came, he would probably have to fight for his life once again.

This constant process of moving from one side to the other, keeping temporary campfires and hunting randomly lasted for what felt like at least a couple of days before things finally took a turn when he ran into other people while resting.

When hearing the noises of footsteps and voices in the distance, the young man quickly reacted to it by hiding himself in the bushes close to a tree with Wilson.

"Okay...It should be safe around here" Said one voice in the distance after walking into view

From out of the foilage, two people came into view. One of them was Lily, and the other was the sailor who, unlike his earlier look, now wasn't wearing his full uniform. His hat and blazer were gone, with only a tank top covering his torso instead. His once clear white pants were slightly ragged on the ends and stained both in dirt and old bloodstains, which only made the young man even more wary of them.

"He-Hey, Rick...I know there are monsters all around..." Said Lily while walking behind him, a slight blush on her face before suddenly making an embarassed and rather comical expression "But do you really need to be around when I have to pee!?"

"(Is that...Lily?)" Thought Max while looking at her

Even if for only a moment, his guard lowered a bit, but his mind suddenly recalled Amelia in a rather grisly way.

"(No...Don't let your guard down...She's the same gender as that person!)" He thought while getting a tighter grip on his spear and keeping his stare fixated on her "(She's...The same as that person!)"

Instead of seeing the kind and clumsy airhead he met on the boat, Max saw two faceless individuals that could and would slaughter him if given the chance.

While Max mentally prepared himself for a likely fight, the two people kept talking. Both of them completely unaware of the danger lingering mere feet away from them.

"Of course I do. Or would you rather have one of those things attack you while you're squatted on the ground?" Replied the sailor, looking at her with slight irritation as he had already explained this to her countless times.

"But it's embarassing!"

"I know that! But you're gonna have to deal with it!" Replied Rick once more "Also, stop yelling so much!"

"But you're yelling too!"

"Just get on with it already!"

The two of them looked at each other before Lily finally caved in.

"Fine...I get it..." She said with her head lowered and a saddened tone.

The young woman then turned around and got a few more steps of distance from Rick, who turned around to try and give her some sense of privacy. At the same time, Lily's face became redder and her eyes teary.

"Uhhhh...Now I can't be a wife anymore..." She said with teary eyes, almost sobbing while reaching down to her skirt

Max kept looking, not even bothered by what was happening, before Wilson suddenly squeezed his way out of his grip and walked out of the bushes.

"Hey, Wilson! Wait!" Whispered the young man in such a low voice that even he himself could hardly hear it

Unfortunately, the bird walked out in the open and chirped, catching the attention of both Rick and Lily.

"What?"

"Eh?"

Both of them looked at Wilson for a moment or two before reacting. Rick was slightly on guard at first with his machete on hand, but soon calmed down after noticing it didn't attack or show any agression at all, making him realize it was an herbivore. Lily, on the other hand, had a much more different and energetic reaction to it.

"What is that!? It's cute!" She said while getting closer to it and squatting in front of the bird with a mixture of curiosity and excitement in her face

"Cute?" Said Rick while sweat dropping "Just how is that thing cute?"

"I mean, just look at it!" Said Lily while looking at Wilson once more with a smile "It's like a pidgeon, but looks so plump and fluffy! And it has a funny face too!"

"You really have an odd taste, you know that?"

"Hey, Rick...What kind of animal do you think this is?" Asked the young woman, seemingly ignoring his comment about her idea of cuteness

"Beats me" Replied the sailor while taking a closer look as well "It kind of looks like a midget brown flamingo, but more plump..."

Rick, who travelled through many shores around the world due to his job as a sailor, had seen many interesting cities and animals alike, but just as with many of the creatures he had seen in this island so far, he had no idea what Wilson was, and the most he could do was recall the animals it resembled the most. And in doing so, suddenly came to realize the bird was quite similar to a chicken.

"Well, either way, I bet we could make a good meal out of this guy"

At that moment, both Max and Lily's eyes widened, a notable shock in their expressions as they looked at him.

"Wa-Wait! What do you mean!?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Said Rick while pointing at Wilson "I'm saying we can cook this bird's meat and eat it"

"No! We can't hurt it!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to do it!" Complained Lily while getting up on her feet and looking at him

"I'll be the one doing it, so stop complaining" Replied Rick, already getting annoyed by her constant interruptions "Besides, it's always a good idea to stock up on as much food as possible"

Rick tried to move her aside, but the young woman refused to obey this time. She didn't want

"Lily, move aside already!"

"I don't wanna!" She snarled in defiance "We already have food, so we don't need to do it!"

The two of them struggled for a moment before Rick suddenly saw Max, who decided to take advantage of their argument, jumping out of the bush with his hatchet in hand, ready to cleave both of them in half. In a quick reaction, the sailor pushed Lily aside, causing her to fall on her rear and away from them as he quickly used his machete to block the incoming stone weapon, barely managing to stop it inches before it reached his head.

"Eh!? Eh!?" Said Lily while looking at the scene taking place in front of her with utter confusion "What's going on!?"

"Lily! Get out of here now!"

Rick tried to push back his attacker, but all the effort put into gathering resources and having to fight off predators gave the young man quite a bit of strength over the last few weeks, along with a some good skill with the use of a hatchet as a weapon. This made it rather difficult to push him back.

Before the sailor could say anything else, he was cut short by the young man, who quickly raised his leg and kicked the sailor in the gut, pushing him backwards.

"Urgh!"

Taking advantage of this short moment, the young man looked around him to find Wilson, but the bird was nowhere to be seen.

"(Wilson!?)"

As he wondered just where did his companion went, Max suddenly heard his chirping growing distant. ANd when turning his head to look at the direction it came from, he saw Lily running away into the vegetation with Wilson in her arms.

"(Wilson!)"

"Hey, get back here! Stay away from her!" Said Rick while getting up.

The young man quickly began to run after Lily, determined to get Wilson back, as the sailor followed after him and tried stopping him. This chase lasted all the way up until they left the forest and made it into a grassland, with the young woman being the first one to make it.

"I-I can't run anymore...!" She said, panting heavily from exhaustion and sweating, with even her face going red from the short but exhausting run.

Behind her, Max jumped out of the forest and ran after her. Needless to say, the sudden scare was more than enough to make her run again, but with exhaustion weighting on her muscles, her running clumsy, and caused her to trip on her own feet after merely a few feet.

"Uwaaaaaahhhhhh!"

The young man didn't give Lily time to get up and keep running away. Instead, he held his spear backwards tightly and prepared to impale her in the back for the sake of retrieving Wilson. But at the moment he was about to jump at her, a rock came flying and hit him right in the back of the head, staggering him for a short moment and giving Rick enough time to jump out of the vegetation and swing his machete at him, forcing the young man to divert his attention at him to block, allowing Lily the chance to get some distance.

"Why, you...!"

The two got stuck in a struggle for a short span of time before Max tried using a kick once more, but Rick anticipated this and quickly moved himself sideways, getting a hold of the young man's leg and pulling it forward, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground. He then lifted up his machete and tried using it to slash down at Max like a guillotine, but the young man didn't lag behind, and clenched his hand on some earth and grass before tossing it right at the sailor's face, blinding him for a moment as he rolled away and got up on his feet while Rick removed the dirt away from his face.

Once again, the two were in a battle against each other. Attacking, blocking and dodging each other's weapons until Rick used an horizontal slash attack, which Max dodged by crouching, followed by a sweep of his spear aimed at the sailor's feet, smacking them sideways and making him fall to the ground. Before he could get up, the young man stepped hard on his hand, making him lose grip of his machete and grunt as he felt the tip of the young man's spear on his neck.

"Da-Damn it!"

Max and Rick silently looked at each other in the eyes, the sailor expecting his throat to be pierced at any time, but this didn't seem to happen. Instead, the young man diverted his eyes towards Lily after hearing Wilson's chirps again and saw her trying to get away.

Not wanting to waste any more time with the sailor, Max turned his spear and smacked him in the face with the opposite end, temporarily stunning him before running after the young woman once more. But just as he was about to catch her, someone jumped in and tackled him by the side, pushing him down.

"(There was another one!?)" Thought Max as he fell on the ground

The two individuals fell into the grass, rolling a few times before finally stopping. The young man standing on the bottom and his assailant with a tight grip on his torso.

In an attempt to free himself, he tried moving his elbow backwards with as much strength as he could, striking the person holding him right in the cheeck a few times and causing his grip to loosen up enough for the young man to get free and turn both of them around, the two of them struggling against each other before quickly getting a hold of each other's shirts and moving back their fists to punch each other. Little did Max know, this assailant was someone he knew quite well. And it was when the two of them looked at each other's faces that he realized it.

"...Alex?" He said with widened eyes and a mixture of shock and surprise in his expression

Alex was initially confused by hearing his name being called by the person he was fighting against, but it soon became clear after he managed to recognize his friend's face, which took him a bit due to the bandana.

"...Ma-Max?" He replied with equal shock and confusion "Max, is that really you?"

Confusion and shock took over both of them, but Max could feel more than that. A mixture of happyness and panic caused by this moment, from knowing he was still alive and the rather unfortunate way they had to meet.

Instead of replying to Alex's questions, the young man quickly took the moment of shock to push his friend away, causing him to trip and fall to the floor as he got up and looked all over, finding Lily and quickly running towards her, snatching Wilson from her and causing her to fall back to the ground on her rear.

"Owie!"

"Wa-Wait, Max!? Where are you going!?" Said the sportsman while getting back up on his feet "Hey, Max! Come back!"

The young man heard Alex clearly, but didn't dare turn his head and instead kept running away. His mind raced faster than a car, trying to figure out what to say, what to do, but the only thought in his mind was to take Wilson and leave, running as fast as he could.

Deep down, Max was happy. He was happy that his friend was still alive, but this was not the way he wanted them to meet. After what happened, after what he did to that man, he felt like they couldn't meet yet. He felt unable to face him with blood-stained hands. The fact he just attacked his group and that he was with Lily, with a woman, only made it worse. In Alex, he could trust, but in Lily? In that other man? Could he trust in both of them?

It was perhaps this, combined with those two factors, that caused him to take this decision.

Alex, on the other hand, had no idea what was even happening right now. All that he could do was follow after Max, try to find him and ask him what was going on.

"Max, where are you!? It's me, Alex!" He yelled after chasing behind him into the forests, looking all around him "Why are you even running away!? We're friends, remember!?"

Despite his constant yelling, Max didn't reveal himself and instead kept running, eventually coming to a short hill and slidding down off it, falling into a few bushed in which he hid away, seeing Alex run until reaching the edge of the hill and checking his surroundings before taking off to another direction altogether and leaving.

He remained hidden for at least another hour before finally getting out and leaving, heading back into the forests, wandering in search of a good place to spend the night.

At the same time, Alex had kept searching for his friend non-stop for what felt like hours before finally returning to where Lily and Rick were, then returning with them to a small cave they used as a temporal hideout, and where Alice was waiting for them.

"Hey, Alice. Sorry for taking so long"

"No, it's okay..." Said the little girl with a smile before noticing Rick was somewhat banged up "What happened?"

"Well, it's a long story" Replied Alex with his eyes closed, not too sure how to explain what happened, before becoming somewhat more cheerful "But that aside, I've got some good news!"

"What is it?"

"We met with your brother, and he's still alive!"

"Really!?" Said Alice, sounding a lot more cheerful and excited this time around "Then big brother is okay!?"

"Yup!"

The little girl's expression became a gleam after finding out her elder brother was alive and well, but something caught her attention. Despite all of her excitement and the expectation of seeing him walking into the cave, she didn't see anyoe besides the usual trio walking in, which made her wonder.

"Where is big brother? Isn't he with you?"

"You see...The thing is..."

While Rick began cooking some of their remaining fish meat and Lily sat down close to Alice, Alex tried to explain to the little girl about the events that transpired, but kept out the part where they and Max got caught up in a fight, saying instead that they were attacked by a group of Dilos and got sepparated.

"So that's what happened..." Said the sportsman while looking at her

"I see..." Replied the little girl while looking down with a mixture of worry and dissapointment "I really hope big brother is okay..."

For a short moment of silence, Max looked at Alice. In a way, he couldn't help but be surprised and also glad.

Despite the young man's less than friendly behavior, the little girl always proved to be a caring and respectful sister towards him, thinking and hoping for his well-being even when her own life was in risk. Alice was a very kind girl in this way, always thinking about others and very polite all the time. She was the type of little girl most people would want as a younger sibling, and yet Max was everything but a proper brother. Sure, he never went beyond simply ignoring her or tried to lay a hand on her either, but Max could really try acting like a proper brother, and this was one of the things that bothered Alex the most.

Deep down, he felt like she was more terrified than anyone else, but held back from saying so and hid it with a smile to avoid worrying others, but it didn't change the fact she was terrified, so much that she would cry herself to sleep in Lily's arms almost every night. Although both Rick and Alex pretended not to hear it just because that was what she wished so, or rather, because neither of them knew how to comfort her in the same way Lily did. Maybe it was because they were both women, or simply because of Lily's straightforward and gentle personality, but the two of them bonded rather fast over the last two weeks.

Even if the young woman wasn't good at fighting or hunting and was a bit of an airhead and a klutz, he was really glad to have someone to comfort her.

While caught up on this train of thought, Alex didn't notice Rick staring at him and at Alice. He kept staring, seemingly deep in thought as well, but didn't say a thing. Instead, he waited until after eating and for both Alice and Lily to take Alex outside for a talk.

"So, what do you wanted to tell me?"

"It's about what we're planning to do"

"What do you mean planning to do?" Asked Alex while looking at him "Didn't we talk about this already?"

"No, we didn't..." Replied Rick with his arms crossed, a certain impatience in his tone "All you could think about was finding that guy, and I humored you because it was a good way to keep everyone busy, but now that's not an option anymore. We need a solid plan"

"We do have a solid plan!" Replied the sportsman, sounding more irritated this time "First we find Max, then we search for more survivors, and together we find a way out!"

"Alex, I didn't want to say this in front of those two, but I think it'd be better if you forgot about Max"

"What!? Why!?"

Now Rick was really getting on Alex's nerves, and he didn't hesitate to voice it out.

"Because he's gone insane!"

"No, he didn't!"

"He attacked us, Alex! He jumped out of the bushes like an animal and attacked both me and Lily!" Snarled Rick, not intent on holding back what was on his mind any longer, while pointing at the sportman's face "And if memory serves me right, he did attack you too! Or what? Are you going to tell me that bruise on your face was the wind smacking you too hard?"

"That's..." Replied Alex while placing one hand over the bruise and looking at it before looking at him again "I'm sure there's a reason why he did what he did..."

"What reason!? What reason could he have for attacking three people like that!?"

"I think it was because of the bird..." Said a female voice

Both of them turned their heads and saw Lily walking out of the cave and towards them.

"Bird? What bird?" Asked Alex with a confused expression

"Back before he jumped out at us, we found a weird bird" Explained the young woman "It seemed harmless, so Rick wanted to kill it and bring it back for dinner. It was at that moment that Max appeared"

"Now that you mention it, I did see you carrying something back then" Said the sportsman with one hand on his chin "What's the bird has to do with all of this, though?"

"The thing is, when both of them began fighting, I took the bird and ran away, but he ignored Rick and chased after me right away, almost as if he was seeking the bird more than us"

"So you're saying he wanted the bird? Like...to eat it?"

"Oh, so he attacked us for food...That certainly makes it a lot better than for no reason..."

"No, I don't think so..." Said Lily once again, growing thoughtful about Max's struggle to get Wilson back from her "More than to eat it, I think he just wanted the bird back...Almost as if he was worried about what could happen to it"

"That doesn't make any sense" Replied Rick while looking at her "What's the point of going after that bird if not to eat it?"

"Why go for the bird in the first place, though?" Asked Back Alex this time "In the last two weeks, we found plenty of food on almost every corner...There's no reason to fight other people just to hunt down a bird, especially for such a small one"

"See!? I told you!" Quickly said Lily while looking at Rick

"It's to increase our survival chances, Lily! When are you going to understand that!?" Snarled the sailor before suddenly thinking about something that has been bothering him "Or rather, why did you even grab the bird back then!? What was the point of that!?"

"Tha-That's, you see..." Said the young woman while pressing both index fingers against each other at face level while diverting her eyes sideways with a weak smile "I thought it might end up getting caught up in the fight and killed, so I wanted to take it to a safer place..."

Both men looked at her in silence for a moment or two before Rick finally broke the silence

"You know, I think that guy isn't the only one with a problem in his brain..." He said while sweat dropping before regaining his serious composture "Anyway, we need to forget about him for now and head towards that green tower. I'm sure it has to have some answers about this place"

"Damn it, I already told you we can't go without Max!"

"Weren't you listening to anything we said!?" Snarled the sailor at the sportsman "He attacked us for a bird, and whetever it was for food or not, it doesn't change the fact he tried to kill us!"

"But he didn't kill you, did he?"

Rick didn't retort this time. Truly enough, Max had more than enough chances to kill both him and Lily, yet didn't do so. Even at the end, when it seemed like he would, the young man instead opted out for stunning him instead.

"Look, all I'm asking for here is a chance" Said Alex with a more calmed tone this time "I know we need to find a way out of this place, but I can't leave my friend behind. At the very least let me try and talk to him, I'm sure I can convince him to join us"

The sailor looked at Max for a moment or two in silence. Right now, he wanted to retort with a good excuse. He wanted to convince him it was not a good idea, but he could tell Alex wouldn't listen to it. He would probably march back into the forests by himself to find him if he had to, and behind him both Lily and Alice would follow as well. He knew that the only thing he could do right now was try and keep them from getting killed.

"Fine, I get it...Tomorrow we'll look for him" Replied the sailor with certain reluctance while scratching the back of his head

"Great!"

"But keep in mind, I won't just sit back and watch if he gets violent again"

"Don't worry, I'll just find a way to solve it if it happens! Even if I have to smack some sense into him by myself!"

"Thank goodness! I was really worried for a moment there!" Said Lily happily and with smile "I'm sure Alice is going to get really happy when we convince Max to join us!"

Rick looked at the two of them becoming excited at the idea of convincing Max to join them, but he couldn't shake off the feeling this could easily be the start of a terrible decision.


	4. Reunion

The group of three wandered throughout the forest, making their way around the large trees and the many vegetation around. They had done these trips quite a few times already either to search for food or just to get a better grip of their surroundings, but none of them could get used to it yet. Lily, who was never good at sports, was having an even harder time at it than Alex and Rick, who at least had some muscle and stamina to back themselves up with.

"Hey, how are we going to find him?" Asked Lily, who was walking on the back and seemingly growing tired already.

"I'm not sure" Replied Alex, his gaze still focused on searching around him "All I know is that he can't be all that far"

"For all the we know, he may already be miles away from here"

"We can't know that for sure"

"So you're saying we should search through the entire forest? Just the three of us? And without a single lead as to how to even find him in the first place?"

"Just give me some time, okay!? I'm thinking about it!"

"Time is something we don't have!"

While the two men began to argue once more, Lily was deep in thought, clearly noticed by the way she had her arms crossed and a was making a constant humming sound.

"Ah! I've got it!" She said while lowering her closed left fist into her right palm.

The young woman took a moment to clear her throat and suddenly began to make some rather odd sounds, which seemed slightly similar to a bird's chirping. This sight was odd enough to even catch the attention of both Alex and Rick, making them stop their argument to look at her with very confused expressions.

"Erm...Lily?" Asked Alex first "...What are you doing?"

"I'm making bird calls"

"Bird calls?"

Lily nodded with confidence twice before explaining her logic. Or at least what she considered was a sound logic.

"You see. Finding Max is really, really hard without something that can help us, right?"

"Yeah..."

"So I thought, what about Mr fluffy bird?"

"Mr fluffy bird?" Asked Rick this time while sweat dropping

"I mean, he really seemed to care about it, right?" Explained Lily, confident in her idea "So if we can't find Max, all we have to do is find Mr fluffy bird, and then we'll find him!"

Both men looked at her for a moment or two in silence. Her strange way of proceeding with her plan aside, the logic behind it actually made sense.

"That...Actually makes sense..." Said Alex with certain surprise in her tone.

"Right?"

Max traveled with Wilson and kept him close at all times, so if they managed to find the Dodo, then Max was bound to be with it or at least close by.

"Still, that doesn't really make it any easier" Said Rick while looking at her "We do need to find the bird, after all"

"Oh..."

Lily then lowered her head with a slight dejection. She honestly believed her plan was good, but Rick also made a very good point.

"At least it's a plan" Replied Alex, who tried to keep the morale high "Come on, the sooner we find him, the sooner we can go back to Alice and head to the tower"

"Yes!" Replied Lily with a more motivated tone than before

As the two returned their full focus to the search, Rick looked at them. So far they didn't encounter any dangerous animals, and even if they did, he and Alex could quickly take them out together. But even so, he just couldn't shake off the feeling that this was a terrible idea. Maybe it was simply him being too paranoic or maybe because of what happened yesterday, but his gut kept telling him to be wary of Max, and if he knew something about gut feelings, is that they were usually there for a reason.

The two kept walking through the forest in search of Max and his Dodo. The search lasted probably around half an hour before they suddenly ran into a pack of dinosaurs. At first they imagined they'd start attacking, but this didn't happen, meaning they were most likely herbivores.

"What are those things?" Asked Alex while looking at them

The dinosaurs were about shoulder-height and around 4.5 M long, they walked on two legs and seemed to be wandering around, browsing through the vegetation with their beaks. But possibly the most notable feature about these creatures was the thick bony dome on the top of their heads.

"I'm not sure..." Replied Rick, who was completely clueless as well "Everything we've seen on this island so far are unknown animals, but these at least seem somewhat passive"

As the trio looked at the bony-headed creatures, Lily suddenly came to realize something about her appearance. She couldn't help but feel like she had seen it somewhere before rummaging through her school shoulder bag for a bit and pulling out a large sketch book. She browsed through the pages before finding the one she was looking for.

"Ah!" She yelled in surprise, almost making both men jump up out of reflect.

"Lily!?" Asked Alex while looking at her with a mixture of surprise and shock, along with widened eyes

"What's wrong!? What happened!?"

"Rick, Alex! Look!"

The young woman turned her sketchbook around and showed it to both of them. In one of the pages, there was a sketch of a biped lizard creature with the name Pachysaurus on the top right. Just with one look, they suddenly understood what made her react like that.

The lizard drawn in the paper and the ones just a few feet from them were one and the same. Or at least similar enough to bring out an uncanny feeling within them.

"That's...One hell of a drawing" Said Alex, surprised by how masterfully made and realistic the drawing was

"Ah, thank you!" Replied Lily with a happy smile, glad about being complimented for her drawing skills "I worked really hard on it"

"Why do you have a drawing of that thing?" Asked Rick, who was almost speecheless by the uncanny resemblance between the sketch and the animals they encountered just now "Or rather, when did you even have time to make a drawing of it?"

"I didn't draw it just now. I made it back in animal anatomy class a week before the trip"

"Anatomy class?"

Lily nodded in response to his question before continuing.

"Usually we draw random animals like dogs, cats or simply learn about how animal bodies are drawn differently than humans. But since the trip was so close to graduation, the professor decided to make a special class where we could draw an animal of our choosing" Explained the young woman "The theme for that class was "extinct animals", and I chose dinosaurs"

"Dinosaurs..." Said Rick while turning his head to look at the Pre-historic creature "You're telling me that's a dinosaur?"

"I don't know..." Replied Lily while turning the sketchbook and looking at the dinosaur drawing "But it looks a lot like it, at least"

Both men looked at her before all three diverted their gazes towards the Pachyosauruses. Although none of them spoke, the same thought was going through their minds.

Right now, the fear that they may have been sent to the past, or to a different world, was lingering within them. And as crazy as it may sound, the unnatural phenomenom that brought them to the island in the first place already defied all sense of logic.

As they kept looking at the the bone-headed dinosaurs, they suddenly saw one of them quickly raise its head and look at a specific direction. Almost as if he had been alerted of some incoming danger. At first the trio was worried they were what alarmed it, but then realzied this couldn't be the case, as the pachy's gaze was focused on a completely different direction. It was looking intently at a pack of vegetation, which seemed to, even if just for a moment, have rummaged in an odd way.

The dinosaur looked at it for a moment longer before suddenly, a green lizard the size of a man with feathers on it's back, head, tail and arms jumped out into the open and attacked the pachiosaurus, using it's sharp teeth to try and byte the pachy's neck, but the dinosaur quickly stepped back and avoided the first bite before headbutting the green lizard away and making it fall to the ground.

"Wha-What!?"

As the green lizard got back up, five more emerged from the vegetation and ran towards the pachysaurus pack, which suddenly got alerted by their fellow being attacked and charged forward at the attackers, giving a headstart to a battle between two species as the trio looked in shock

"What's going on!?"

"Those must be predators!" Said Rick while looking at the battle "Quick, we have to get out of here!"

Agreeing with the sailor, both Alex and Lily quickly followed him. The three of them tried circling around the battle, crouching to use the vegetation as cover while trying to sneak without being noticed. This tactic was rather short lived, as their path was suddenly blocked mid-way through by a pachyosaurus pushing one of the feathered lizards all the way while running at top speed with its head, making it crash against a tree.

"Shit! Run!"

With their cover blown, the trio tossed away sneaking and began to run at full speed, hoping not to be noticed and be able to escape. Unfortunately, one of the feathered lizards caught sight of them and broke from the battle to chase after them.

As the trio kept running further and further away, they didn't look back at the battle and instead focused on getting away as far as they could. But even so, the green lizard refused to let them go and kept going after them, eventually reaching them and doing a lounging attack once he got close enough.

"Look out!"

With the incoming threat jumping right at them, Alex quickly pushed both Rick and Lily forward and away from danger. Unfortunately, this made him unable to dodge in time, getting caught by the lizard's claws and be pushed down, making both of them slip down a hill and roll down rather roughly.

"Alex!"

Both the sailor and the young woman quickly approached the border of the hill just in time to see Alex and the green lizard finish rolling down and smacking the ground. Fortunately, Alex seemed to be the one to take less of the brunt due to him using the dinosaur's body to absorb most of the impact, along with the final impact breaking them appart. This allowed Alex to quickly get up after rolling in the ground and grunting for a moment or two due to the fall still being rather painful.

"Alex, are you okay!?"

"Damn it!"

Rick tried to slide down, but the hill was too steep to safely do it without having luck on his favor, and he doubted Lily would be able to fend off for herself.

"You two, get out of here!" Yelled the sportsman after looking up at them "I'll shake off this thing and meet you at the cave! If I'm not there by nightime, we'll meet at the green tower tomorrow!"

"Bu-But!" Replied Lily

"I'll be okay! You don't need to worry about me!" Replied Alex once more, trying to ease her worry before alternating between looking at them and at the lizard, which was already getting back up "Just go already! Go! Now!"

After agreeing on an emergency meeting spot with his companions, Alex quickly ran into the thicker parts of the forest, getting lost from sight as the dinosaur got back up and chased after him.

"Alex!"

"Lily, come on! We have to get out of here!" Said Rick while tugging on her arm, pulling her away

"But what about Alex!?"

"He'll be fine! For now we have to leave!"

The sailor kept tugging on her arm a few more times before she finally decided to follow him, both of them running away and leaving Alex to deal with the dinosaur chasing after him.

He ketp running, making his way through the vegetation as fast as he could in hopes of losing his pursuer. Nonetheless, the green lizard was far more persisten than expected, even after suffering as many injuries as it did.

"(Damn it! This thing ain't giving up easy, is it!?)"

His legs began to feel numb, his muscles began to ache, but Alex knew he couldn't stop, he knew that he shouldn't stop. If he did, then it would be all over. He would be caught, killed and devoured by an unknown animal, without ever knowing how or why he ended up in that mysterious island, or what happened to his classmates, what happened to Max. The idea of dying with this feeling of regret in his chest helped him muster more strength out of himself to keep running, but just as with any other human, he was already hitting his limit.

Not only his current diet wasn't a very nutritious one, but the fall from earlier took a toll on his body. The aching in his muscles was a sign of it. Even the most skilled of athletes would have a hard time lasting long under such harsh conditions.

Meanwhile, the green lizard was still running at top speed. In one final push, it lounged forward, using the claws on its hands to slash at Alex, hitting him right in the back.

"Arghhh!" Yelled the sportsman as the pain from the injury coursed through his whole body. A large pair of scars left in his back, from which blood began to pour as he fell down to the floor

He struggled to get up, but his body wasn't listening to him anymore. All he could do was try to drag himself, but there was no way he could get away in such a state.

"(No...I can't give up just yet...)" He thought while dragging himself through the dirt and the grass "(I...Have to find him...I have to...be there for him...this time...)"

Slowly, the world around him began to move like jelly and his vision slowly blurred and darkened. He was about to lose concsiousness from his injuries.

As he felt his strength leaving his body, the green lizard approached his prey. Knowing it wouldn't run anywhere anymore, the dinosaur slowly approached its jaws to his neck, getting ready to snap his nape off and kill him. But on the last second, the attention of both of them was caught by a chirping sound right in front of them.

Both looked forward and saw a Dodo standing right in front of them, watching what was happening calmly while leaning its head from one side to the other.

"(A bird...Is that...?)"

The green lizard looked at the bird for a moment, but quickly lost interest and chose instead to focus on the bigger prey it had at the moment. But just as it returned to trying to chomp on Alex's neck, the dinosaur was suddenly ambushed by Max, who jumped on top of it and used an arrow as a knife to stab it right in the eye, forcing the lizard to move away from the sportsman as it atempted to shake off his attacker.

Meanwhile, Alex slowly turned his head and looked over his shoulder. Right now, all he could see was two blurry figures moving intensely. One constantly stabbing and hacking at the other, making blood constantly splurt out. But that as far as he could discern before finally being unable to keep himself awake any longer and finally pass out.

As he dwelved within the darkness of his subconscious, he saw a memory flashing back in front of him. Two boys walking down the streets, one perky and leading onward with a more lively step while the other seemed more calm and shy, yet also had a somewhat cheerful step and a smile on his face, most likely because of his friend's cheerfulness bringing forth a positive mood. It was a happy memory, but for some reason one that also felt very distant right now.

He tried reaching out for the child on the back with his hand, wishing to regain some closeness to him, but everything faded away into darkness once more. After a minute or so of this endless void, Alex slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the starry sky above him, along with the sound of crackling close-by. At first he showed no reaction due to still feeling drowsy, but recalling the events that took place before he lost consciousness quickly made the adrenaline flow, washing all drowsyness right away as he quickly sat up.

"Ouch!" He complained after feeling a sharp pain on his back and closing his eyes

"So you're finally awake?" Said a familiar voice just a few feet away from him

Upon hearing it, the sportsman opened his eyes and looked at the direction said familiar voice came from. First he saw Wilson standing right next to him, his stare focused on him for a moment or two before turning around and heading towards someone sitting close to a bonfire. The orange flames dancing and rising high up into the skies as the pieces of wood and tatch whitin kept burning, making crackling sounds while the individual sitting close-by made sure to keep the fire kindled by poking the pieces of burning wood around with a stick in order to avoid any of them from slipping out. Two pieces of meat impaled with sticks hanging over the flames, cooking as they spoke.

It didn't take long for Alex to recognize this individual as Max.

"Max!?" Said the sportsman with a mixture of surprise and happyness before the sharp pain in his back hit him again, keeping him from moving "Ouch!"

"You shouldn't move too much yet" Said the young man while turning his head to look at him.

While placing one hand over his chest and looking at it, Alex saw the bandages covering his torso. Wrapped tidily around it and fastened in place.

"You lost a notable amount of blood, but the scars weren't too deep so It wasn't lethal" Explained Max while Wilson snuggled right next to his foot "I patched you up the best I could, but you should try to stay still for now"

Max looked at him for a moment or two in silence before looking at his surroundings. It was already nightime judging by how dark it was, but he could tell it wasn't the forest. There were a few large rocks around them, but it couldn't be a cave considering they had a clear view of the sky

"Where...are we?"

"In the grasslands. I found this spot close to a hill the other day while looking for places to sleep in..." Replied Max without looking at him "There are lots of predators around these areas, but we should be safe here. At least for tonight"

"I see..."

Slowly, Alex sat up, resting one forearm over his knee while leaning slightly forward. It probably would have been better to just lie down, but he didn't want to do so, as his back would ache constantly. Besides, he didn't feel that drowsy anymore.

Silence ruled over for longer than either of them could probably account for before Alex finally decided to talk.

"Hey, Max..." He said while looking at the young man, who didn't seem to look at him, but also didn't seem to want to stop him either "About what happened yesterday..."

"What about it?"

"Why did you do it?" Asked the sportsman bluntly and directly, cutting to the chase and going straight to the point "Why did you attack Rick and Lily?"

There was no answer, only silence. Alex imagined he would receive something like this, but it didn't discourage him. He wanted to know his side of the story. No, he needed to know Max's side of the story.

"Max!"

"They tried to attack my bird"

"Huh?"

"You wanted to know, didn't you?" Replied the young man, his expression unchanged and his stare still focused on the fire "They attacked the bird, and I fought back...That's all there is to it"

A moment of silence took over afterward as Alex dwelved into deep thought and looked at the bird which he assumed was the Dodo Max referred to. In the end, it seemed as though Lily was right. The reason Max attacked them was to protect the bird. Why go so far to protect just one bird, which didn't seem all that clever or even useful for survival, was still a mystery of itself, though.

The young man wasn't an animal right's protector or even someone who had any strong affections towards animals at least as far as the sportsman rememebered. Maybe he did keep it around as emergency food, but it wouldn't make sense to become so agressive just to protect a meal when food in the island was as plentiful as it was. The only conclusion he could draw was that he saw the bird as some sort of pet, but even then it felt a bit lackluster for an answer.

"You should try to eat something and sleep" Said Max, interrupting Alex's train of though, while taking one of the sticks with a piece of already cooked meat and handing it over to him after getting up and walking a few steps closer "Here..."

The sportsman looked at the piece of meat, properly and neatly cooked, impaled on the stick for a moment or two before getting a hold of it. As soon as he did, the young man walked away rather fast and returned to his spot.

Looking at him, it was then that Alex realized something that he had failed to notice so far. From the point he woke up until now, Max didn't look at him in the eyes even once. Part of him imagined it was because of what happened yesterday making him feel ashamed, but his gut told him otherwise.

More than simple shame or embarassment, he seemed apprehensive about it. It was almost as if he didn't want Alex to find out about something by looking at his eyes. In fact, something very similar happened when they met yesterday, and it was from that moment and from the way he retreated so fast just now that he was certain of it. The young man was avoiding eye contact. Probably even avoiding physical contact as well.

It wasn't a cery clear view, but he could already make out his face by the fire's light, and he could notice something was indeed different about him. There was something off about the look in his eyes. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, but it simply felt wrong somehow.

Before, Max's stare always seemed apathetic or lukewarm at best. But now, it felt a lot more sullen, almost as if something was eating away at his mind, unable to let him feel at ease.

"Hey, Max..." He said while looking at him "What are you planning to do now?"

That was not the question Alex wanted to ask, but his gut told him not to ask this time. Maybe because he felt like it wasn't the right time to do so or because it didn't seem like Max would open up about it yet, but he simply felt like he shouldn't ask just yet.

"For now, I'll just focus on staying alive" He said before taking a bite of his cooked meat "After that, I'll try to figure out a way back...Maybe those towers hold an answer"

"If that's the case, then how about coming with me and my group?" Said Alex quickly, suddenly seeing a chance to invite him to join his group "We're trying to find a way to leave using the towers too, and I'm sure we can work together!"

A short moment of silence passed by before the young man finally answered.

"I'd rather not..."

"Wha-What?"

"I said I don't want to join your group"

The sportsman was baffled by his answer, to say the least.

"Hey, Max! What do you mean by that!?" He quickly asked, sounding more alarmed now "If it's because of what happened yesterday, then you don't need to worry about it!"

Alex expected an answer, something that could explain Max's sudden answer, but he received nothing other than silence once more.

"Okay, then how about this?" Said the sportsman, trying to persuade him "You want to investigate those towers and I need to meet up with my group there tomorrow, right? So how about we go together to the green tower? And if I can't convince you, then I won't complain anymore...Deal?"

The young man didn't reply right away. Instead, he looked at the fire, then diverted his stare slightly towards Alex and pondered about his assertive approach for a moment before finally answering.

"And what if I say no?"

"Then I'll just go by myself..."

Looking at the state he was in, it was a given that moving around the forests in his current state was nothing short of a terrible idea.

Sure, he could walk without any troubles and the fact his destination was a humongous floating tower made it much easier to not get lost, but running for extended periods of time or fending off against any animals would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. With this and the idea of getting to gather some information about the towers in mind, he knew Max would have to accept. And surprisingly, it worked.

"...Okay, I'll go with you to the tower"

"Great! I knew you'd get it!" Said Alex, a mixture of cheer and relief in his tone

"But I'm not planning on joining your group...I'm only going to check out the tower..."

The sportsman imagined he'd give an answer like that, but this didn't discourage him. Instead, it only fueled his motivation to convince him during tomorrow's journey.

*Scene*

"All right...!" Said Alex while stretching his arms upwards, still feeling the scars on his back ache slightly. "We're all ready to go!"

The injuries still hadn't fully healed up, but at least the aching was far weaker and bearable than before. Just about enough for him to move without any issues.

"Come on, there's a lot of forest to walk through" Said Max, who was following behind him with his spear on hand and bow and quiver filled with arrows strapped on his back, along with his trusty Dodo Wilson following him as fast as it's tiny legs could "And I'd rather get this over with before nightfall..."

Unlike the sportsman, who was in a good mood from making it out of yesterday's predicament alive and managed to meet up with his friend, Max didn't seem to share even an ounce of that excitement and instead focused more on the journey that would wait for them ahead. A logical move, but a complete mood killer.

"You...would it kill you to be positive?" Asked Alex while looking at him and sweat dropping

"No, but being careless WILL definitely kill you" Replied the young man, hinting at the trio's reckless search from yesterday

"Fair enough" Said the sportsman, knowing he had no good retort against his logic "So, how are we gonna do this?"

"We're gonna go all the way through the forest, then follow the river upstream all the way to the tower" Explained Max while tracing a line on the ground with his spear "It's a bit more exposed than the forest, but it should also be easier to spot dangerous animals and harder to get lost as well"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Replied Alex while nodding in agreement "Let's get going!"

With their plan decided, the two men and bird ventured into the forests, with Max going at the front to lead the way and act as the frontline in case of any dinosaur attacks while Alex would use the wooden spear provided to him to act as backup and Wilson did what it knew best. Being Wilson.

After probably around half an hour of walking, they were still going through the forest, and they didn't see any signs of it thinning out yet.

"Hey, how long until we reach the river?" Asked Alex, now using his spear as a walking stick

"I'm not sure...but it shouldn't be too far away"

"Shouldn't, you say..." He Replied, a slight concern in the vague answer given by the young man

Meanwhile, Max looked at his implant to analize his interface for a moment. Unfortunately, despite the potential uses behind this device, a map was not one of them.

"If only this damn implant had a map..." He said with certain irritation while looking at it after clicking his tongue.

"Implant?"

When hearing his question, the young man turned his head away from the interface, making it fade away, and looked at Alex

"The thing in your forearm"

The sportsman lowered his head and looked at the metal object in his own wrist.

"So this thing is an implant?"

"I'm not all too sure what it is, exactly, or what it's meant for, but as far as I can tell, it seems to be some sort of incredibly advanced interface device"

"Interface?"

Looking at Alex's confused expression, it was easy for the young man to tell that he was probably utterly lost right now. Instead, he chose to go and give him an explanation of how to use it himself.

"Try focusing your stare on the implant, then put some strength into your middle-finger"

The sportsman wasn't all too sure how to make sense out of his friend's explanation, but sense wasn't exaclty something that had a lot of weight so far, so he decided to go ahead and give it a try.

He started by staring at the implant as he was told for at least five seconds or so, putting most of his focus on it, then tried putting strength into his middle finger. It took a moment or two before he finally got it right, causing the implant to suddenly activate and showing him his own interface as well.

"Whoa!?" He yelled in surprise, eyes as wide as plates while moving his head back and almost falling to the floor on his rear

Max let his friend take a moment or two before urging him to resume their journey.

"Come on, let's keep moving" He said while turning around and walking once more "there's no time to waste"

"Ye-Yeah..."

The trio once again walked through the forest in search of the river. Max still leading while Alex followed behind him. This time, though, he was more focused on his implant's interface. Analyzing it with awe while trying to understand how such a thing was even possible.

Fortunately, he had someone he could ask.

"Hey, Max...Just what is this thing?"

"Beats me...There's still a lot I don't know about it, but it seems to be something similar to a character's sheet or inventory in an RPG" Explained the young man to his baffled friend, who was still looking at his own interface "There's also a "crafting" system as well, but they're called "engrams" instead"

"engrams?"

"They're something like blueprints. But instead of written on paper, they're downloaded within your mind when unlocked" He kept on explaining "So far I found things like bonfires and survival tools like hatchets and bandages, but there seems to be a bunch of other things as well"

After receiving that explanation, quite a few things suddenly made a lot more sense. One of them being the young man's sudden ability to become skilled at crafting things such as campfires and weapons like the spears both of them had right now. Even the bandages he had on him were probably his doing as well.

It made him wonder if he could convince the young man to teach him how to use this "crafting system" he spoke about. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like there would be any time for it, as he suddenly noticed the forest around them was beginning to thin out and the wind began to blow stronger. They were finally getting close to the river.

"We're almost there" Said Max, who could already see the river in the distance "Just a little more"

"Finally..."

The sportsman was glad to know that they had finally finished the first half of their trip. Mostly because walking by the riverside sounded far easier and less demanding than crossing through a forest with thick vegetation. And the idea of having a large supply of potable water to satisfy his thirst was also a pleasant thought for the mind as well, but his mind quickly diverted from this thought to the young man, who had suddenly stopped moving and was simply standing there in silence.

"Max? What's wrong?"

Alex walked closer to him in order to find out what the problem was, but he was taken by surprise as the young man quickly took a step back and hid behind a tree while pushing behind another one as well.

"He-Hey!"

"Shhh! Keep quiet!" Replied Max with a whispering tone while looking at him and gesturing him with his hand to remain silent, then aiming at the river "Look..."

Following his finger, Alex looked at the river and saw what the problem was about. Out there, wandering around the beach, there was a gigantic scorpion. It was dark-blue in coloration and seemed to be about the size of a man, if not bigger.

"Wha...What the hell is that!?" He asked while looking at the massive bug with widened eyes

"I think it's a scorpion..."

"Yeah, a GIANT scorpion!" Replied the sportsman while diverting his stare towards the young man "What on earth do we do now!?"

"I bet we could sneak through the forest, but that would take too long" Said Max while getting a hold of his bow and taking an arrow out of his quiver

"You're gonna fight it?"

"It's a lot bigger than normal scorpions, but my arrows should be enough to kill it"

Due to being many times larger than the scorpions they knew about, it was a given that this creature would be far more resilient than its smaller counterparts, but even so, a well-aimed arrow should be capable of taking it down. Or at the very least, slow it down enough for them to avoid it safely.

With this in mind, the young man pulled back his bow and prepared to shoot while taking a moment to make sure his aim would be as steady as possible, aiming directly at the scorpion's head. He wanted to make sure the first shot would be the deadliest.

He kept silent for a moment, focusing solely on his aim before his focus was suddenly broken by a rather unexpected sight.

The scorpion's calm wandering was interrupted, not by Max's arrow, but by a massive crocodile-like mouth that took a hold of it and lifted it up into the air. Both men then looked up and saw a massive dinosaur with a large fin-like spine on it's back. They remained baffled as they saw the massive lizard hold it's prey and allowed it to struggle in vain before suddenly chomping down with great strength, turning the scorpion into a mush of green-ish liquid that one could assume was it's innards and shattered shards and limbs, all of it falling down on the sand like rain.

The sudden shock was quickly replaced by a repulsive feeling that swelled up from within their stomachs. Both of them struggling not to spill out their dinner all over the floor. Alex seeming to have a much harder time than Max. Somehow, both of them managed to hold back the urge to vomit and went back to focus on the large lizard, which kept chomping on it's meal before turning it's head and looking at the riverside once more, then walking away slowly.

Both of them looked at each other for a moment before then diverting their gaze at the large spinosaurus walking away. Once it had gained a considerable distance away from both of them, the young man put his bow and arrows away, then took Wilson and carried it under his arm while him and Alex walked out of the forest slowly.

For a moment, they feared it would turn around, but the dinosaur kept walking away until it got lost from their sight. The danger had passed them right by and chose to ignore them. For now, at least.

Both the young man and the sportsman didn't waste a single second and began to follow the river, heading upstream and heading towards the green tower as fast as they could. Neither of them wished to stay close to the river for too long after what they witnessed. Fortunately, the path along the river was far easier and faster to move through.

Before long, they were already close to the tower's base, reaching the rocky cliffs surrounding the small space around it. As they followed them, Max's eyes kept diverting towards the edges of the cliffs, causing his mind to get lost and wander towards the events that took place a few days earlier. Nonetheless, he tried to avoid these thoughts and keep himself focused on the Tower. Alex failed to notice the young man's behavior, as his mind was filled with thoughts about the things he saw earlier, about his comrade's well being, and about how he would convine Max to join them.

The closer they got to the tower, the more prominent these thoughts became, but they were quickly cut off by a sudden pair of scream echoing in the distance.

"Screaming?"

"Those voices...They sounded like..." Said Alex in a lower voice while trying to discern the tones of the screaming voices before suddenly recognizing them "Lily and Alice!"

Without a second of doubt, the sportsman ran as fast as he could towards the source of the screaming. Meanwhile, the young man and Wilson followed behind him.

"(Alice?)" Thought Max while moving, his gaze focused forward

The two men and Dodo ran as fast as they could before reaching a cliff that gave a clear view to the base of the obelisk. Once there, they saw Rick trying to fend off a large, horned dinosaur while Lily and Alice took cover behind rock.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like the sailor was doing all too well in this battle against the carnotaurus, as he could hardly land a blow without risking getting one of harms bitten off by the large jaws quickly lounging at him, constantly forcing him to dodge away and to be on the defensive.

"Another dinosaur!?"

"It doesn't seem to be part of a pack" Said Max while looking around in search of other dinosaurs and confirming there was none "It was probably wandering around and ended up running into them while looking for prey"

"Shit, we have to do something!" Replied the sportsman while running towards a slope heading down towards the rocky path to the tower's base "Come on Max, let's go!"

Alex quickly looked back to see the young man, but quickly stopped after seeing that, unlike him, he was not running. Instead, he stood still, looking at the fight taking place with a seemingly uninterested expression.

"Hey, Max! What are you waiting for!?" Asked the sportsman, a notable mixture of haste and impatience in his tone "We have to hurry up and help them!"

"We do?"

"Eh?"

"I'm asking you if we really have to help them..." Said the young man while turning his eyes to look at him "Just take a look at that thing for a moment"

Following Max's words, Alex turned his head to look at the carnotaurus, which was still trying to attack Rick, but avoided getting too close as to avoid the machete attacks.

"That thing may not be as big as the one we saw earlier, but it's certainly bigger than anything we've fought so far" He explained while looking at the dinosaur, which was certainly larger and seemed stronger than the dilos or raptors they had fought so far, before looking at Alex once again "You're in no shape to fight something like that, and if those wounds re-open, the result won't be pretty...And even without them, fighting it would still be a bad choice"

"Then what do you suggest, huh!?" Snarled Alex while looking at him "Just sitting here and let them get eaten!?"

"Why not?"

At that moment, the sportsman didn't reply. This allowed the young man to keep on going.

"I said it before, didn't I? That thing is looking for a meal" He said while looking at the fight once more "Three people should be more than enough to fill it up...And after that, It should wander off after a while"

Alex was utterly baffled by this answer. Max's reasoning was based on logical thought, but it was extremely cold-hearted. Sure, he wasn't the most emotional person out there, but he had never been this inhumane or apathetic towards the well-being of others.

As his mind struggled to understand why would Max come up with such an inhumane logic, a thought suddenly came up in his mind. There was one detail about the young man that he knew about which could possibly explain his answer.

"Max...This isn't because of Lily and Alice, is it?"

Once again, he received silence as an answer. But this time, the silence didn't confuse him. Instead, it provided an answer, since he may not have confirmed it, but he didn't deny it either.

"Hey, Max! Are you serious!?" He said, sounding more angry this time around while walking closer to him "This isn't the time for that "I hate women" crap! can't you see what's happening right now!?"

Silence remained as his answer for a third time. Anger was beginning to take over, but it truly erupted when the young man finally gave him an answer.

"What's the big deal? They're just a bunch of strangers..."

"Max, you bastard!" Snarled Alex while getting a hold of Max's shirt and pulling him closer "Knock it off already! You're taking this joke way too fucking far!"

The young man didn't reply to his threat, instead giving silence again. This only served to increase his anger.

"Max!"

"Can you trust them?"

"What?"

"Can you trust them? Those people, I mean" Asked the young man once more, this time looking at him in the eye "They're probably being nice now, but how do you know they won't turn their back on you and try to kill you in your sleep or beat you up and leave you for dead when it gets convenient for them?"

When looking at him, Alex's anger slowly decreased as he finally saw his friend's face properly. His expression wasn't the same as yesterday or even just a few moments ago. Instead, he seemed more dejected than sullen this time. Almost as if something was weighting down on him, but he felt unable to put it into words properly.

"You can't trust people, Alex...Especially not here..." He said, sounding more like someone talking from personal experience rather than simple reasoning, while his eyes diverted sideway.

For the fist time since they reunited, Max called the sportsman by his name, which only made it far easier for him to realize the severity of his words since the young man never, ever called someone by their name unless it was for something serious.

This caused his mind to take a different approach. Instead of wondering what was happening to him, it began to question what happened to him that could make him turn into such a person.

"Max, you..."

Just as he was about to ask, Alex was interrupted by yet another scream. But this time, it was coming from Rick.

When turning his head, he saw the carnotaurus had managed to take a step forward and lounge his jaws at the sailor, managing to bite down into his forearm. He tried his best to shake off the dinosaur by attacking with his machete, but it wasn't working.

"Rick!"

The sportsman quickly let go of Max and turned around to running towards the base of the tower with his spear in hand, decided to help fend off the carnotaurus and save his group. His mind still had the questions regarding Max, but there was no more time to waste. He had to help his friends before they got eaten.

On the meanwhile, the young man simply stood still where he was. His gaze still focused on the side before finally focusing once more on the sportsman, who kept running at full speed. Each step increasing the distance between both of them even further, his mind focused on helping those people instead of staying with him. Knowing Alex's personality, Max couldn't say he didn't expect this from him. Even so, he couldn't shake off this odd sensation weighting down on him.

Part of him wanted to go as well to help Alex, but going would mean having to help Lily and Alice as well. This inner conflict kept going within his mind for a moment or two before he finally made a decision.

"Come on, Wilson..." He said, finally breaking the silence "We need to find a safe spot to wait until the place is empty..."

Abandoning Alex wasn't something he wanted to do. It felt like a cruel choice, but the same could be said about his earlier choice as well. Max knew this, but it was for the sake of increasing his chances to survive. Or at least that was what he tried saying to himself to make leaving the sportsman to his own luck weight less heavily on his mind.

With his mind made up, he called for his Dodo companion to follow him so both of them could wait for the area to be clear. Either from the carnotaurus after it finished eating, or from Alex's group after they were done looking around. Surprisingly, Wilson was being rather slow to chirp in reply to him, or rather, he wasn't replying at all. This was completely unlike his usualy, noisy self. And it didn't take long for it to make the young man wonder what was wrong.

"Hey, Wilson...Let's go" Said Max once more while turning his head to look at the bird, then suddenly noticing he was not there, or anywhere to be seen as for that matter "Wilson?"

Now that he finally realized his Dodo was missing, the young man looked all around him before finally finding Wilson running behind Alex, heading towards the heated battle as well. Most likely when Max wasn't paying attention to it due to his own train of thought.

"Wilson!?"

Meanwhile, the sportsman ran at full throttle, his spear held with both hands as he charged into the fray and attacked the carnotaurus, stabbing it in the leg with his spear. Unfortunately, the spear didn't pierce deep enough to make the dinosaur fall down, but it was more than enough to catch it's attention.

"Alex!?" Said Lily after seeing him. Feeling both surprised by his sudden arrival and relieved to know he was alive.

Feeling the sharp pain on its leg, the dinosaur let go of the sailors arm, which quickly took a step back and almost fell to the floor, before turning its head to look at Alex and focus on him instead. The sportsman quickly pulled his spear and took a step back to avoid the incoming jaws. At the same time, Rick quickly lowered his head to avoid the incoming tail swipe.

Now the fight was 2v1, but that didn't make things any easier for them.

Alex kept thrusting his spear forward, constantly attacking to keep the Carnotaurus at bay and sometimes stepping back to avoid its jaws. This constant back and forth lasted for a moment or two before the dinosaur's jaws took a hold of the sportsman's spear and bit down hard enough to break it in half like a fiddlestick. Alex then lost his footing due to this and fell down on his back, still holding both broken ends of his weapon.

The scars on his back stung him so hard he almost felt like someone was pressing a hot rod of metal against it, but there was hardly any time to think about it. The moment he opened his eyes again, the sportsman saw the Carnotaurus above him, his jaws falling down towards him at full speed. Thanks to his trained reflexes, he managed to roll sideways and avoid being chomped on at the last second. At the same time, Rick quickly tried attacking from the back, but the Carnotaurus's tail constantly wavered from one side to the other, turning it into both a dangerous blunt object and an effective defense to keep him from getting too close.

The sportsman kept dodging before seeing a chance to try and scurry away, but the dinosaur didn't fail to notice this and quickly took a hold of his left leg with its jaws and suddenly lifted him up while spinning around. Alex was then tossed right at Rick, who was not able to avoid in time and got hit, both of them falling down on the floor.

"Urgh..." Moaned Alex, whose body was already reaching its limits

"Damn it...There's no way I'm turning into dinosaur chowder!" Added Rick, who struggled to get back up, but was unable to do so due to the sportsman weight.

The Carnotaurus didn't waste a single second and approached both men with the full intent to finish them off once and for all.

"Rick! Alex!"

Lily and Alice both looked in terror at the carnage that was about to take place before Wilson scurried between the Carnotaurus's legs and stood on top of both Alex and Rick, putting itself in the way in an attempt to protect them.

"What the...?" Said the sailor while looking at the Dodo

The brave bird flapped its wings and chirped loudly at the carnivore, but unfortunately, Wilson's small and plump body was hardly capable of being even remotely menacing to a larger predator. And certainly not to the Carnotaurus, which simply decided to eat the bird as well. Little did it imagine, this wouldn't be the last intrusion.

Suddenly, a flying rock smacked it right in the top of the head and catched his attention, followed by a second one aimed at its back. This caused the carnivore to turn it's head to look behind it and see Max taking aim with his bow. In a split second, an arrow flew through the air and towards the Carnotaurus, hitting it straight in the face and missing it's eye by mere inches.

Needless to say, this was not pleasant at all for the carnivore, which roared in a mixture of irritation and pain at the feeling of the stone arrow piercing it's skin while shaking it's head to make it come off.

"Is that...?"

"...Max?" Said Lily while looking at the young man with surprise

"Big brother?"

As both women focused their stares on Max, he took another arrow from his quiver and prepared to fire while moving sideways.

After getting wounded and attacked by the back so many times, the Carnotaurus had grown irritated and quickly charged towards Max, who kept a steady aim towards it's head. He didn't shoot right away and instead kept a steady aim, waiting for the carnivore to get closer and closer. By the time it was right about to attack, Max quickly lowered his aim and fired the arrow, which hit it straight in the leg. While it wasn't powerful enough to pierce through the bone, it was more than enough to make the carnotaurus trip.

At the same time, the young man quickly jumped sideways to avoid the large reptile as it fell towards him and slipped before falling off the edge and into the small lake below them.

At the next moment, both Rick and Alex slowly approached Max to look down over the edge at the water.

"Is it dead?" Asked Rick with his gaze focused on the lake

It took a few seconds, but his answer answered itself after the carnotaurus floated to the surface and slowly swam all the way to the shore.

Both the sportsman and the sailor feared it would come back and attack, but instead it walked away and into the forest, getting lost from view.

"It...It left?" Asked Max this time

"That thing may be an animal, but it's not dumb" Replied Max while looking at the forest "It was outnumbered three to one and badly wounded. He probably felt like it wasn't worth the effort anymore"

Badly wounded and surpassed in number, the Carnotaurus chose to retreat and live to fight another day. And with it gone, now the survivors had the freedom to analize the obelisk more carefully.

Despite the structure's titanic size, it floated many feet above the sky without the slightest trouble. The pillar of green light at the core descending down towards a small silver pole-like object shaped like a plumbob, which in itself was at the center of a large metalic circle, connected by six lines of green light framed in metal, each one going from the outer circle to the pole at the center.

The first one to approach it was Max, who put his bow behind his back while being followed by Wilson. At the following moment, both Rick and Alex followed behind him as well.

Upon closer inspection, the pole was framed by green light at the outer edge as well and had a small red plumbob on the center. It seemed to be made out of crystal, perhaps ruby, and was so perfectly smooth that there was no way for it to have been made without some extremely advanced machinery.

As a matter of fact. Not only the crystal at the center, but the entire structure, both circle on the ground and the tower flying above, were perfectly smooth and in a perfect state despite being exposed to the enviorement around it. Almost as if someone was constantly keeping it mantained or as if both the animals and nature itself were avoiding it.

The trio looked at it in silence before both Alex and Max suddenly realized how the red plumbob resembled the implant. The young man was the first to reach out with his left hand, and just as they imagined, the implant reacted almost inmediately and showed them their interface once more. This time, though, there was a new screen. One referred to as "tribute" with an icon of a blue spider chesspiece highlighted on it.

"The hell does it mean by tribute?" Asked Alex while looking at the tree symbols with a confused expression

"I'm not sure..."

"Guys...What are you doing?"

Rick, who was behind them and whose eyes alternated between looking at Alex and Max, was utterly confused by what was happening right now. Due to his lack of knowledge about the implant's use, all he was seeing right now were only two people staring at their wrists and talking random thinghs.

"Ah, right. You don't know how the implant works yet"

"Implant?" Asked once more the sailor, this time looking at his own wrist "You mean this thing?"

"Yeah, you see..."

The sportsman turned around to look at Rick and explained to him how the implant works while Max kept trying to figure out the meaning behind the spider chess pieces.

Focusing his stare on the spider, a smaller window containing information faded into view, three new items referred to as "artifacts" appeared listed on it horizontally. One named "the clever", another one "the hunter" and the finaly one referred to as "the massive". Each one of this objects wore a different name and appearance.

At the same time as the young man analyzed the interface and Alex spoke with Rick, both Lily and Alice had walked out of hidding and approached the trio. More specifically, Max.

"Big brother, you're alive!" Said the little girl happily with a smile, genuinely glad to see his older brother was still in one piece "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Despite her rather heartfelt greeting, Alice received no answer at all from Max.

"Big brother?"

"Max?"

At first she imagined it was because of his strong focus on the alien-like pillar, but he still didn't respond to her despite being called out to twice by both her and Lily.

Their focus on him didn't last long, though, as it was quickly taken away by Wilson's chirp, which made both of them lower their gazes and look at him.

"Ah! It's bird!" Said the young woman while squatting in front of it

Lily had already seen Wilson, so seeing the bird didn't surprise her as much as it made her glad. Alice, on the other hand, was quite surprised at first. So much that she almost hid behind the young woman. But her surprise quickly changed into curiosity after noticing the Dodo didn't seem to be dangerous or even harmful like the Carnotaurus from earlier. On the opposite, she actually thought it was kind of cute. In an odd, goofy way, but cute nonetheless. And Wilson as well seemed curious of her, judging by the way he tilted his head while looking at her and taking a step forward.

In the midst of this, Lily wanted to pet Wilson and stretched out her hand to touch him with a smile, but this was abruptly stopped by a sharp being thrust towards the ground between both of them and the Dodo, nearly impaling her hand in the process.

"Uwahhhh!?" She said in surprise while both her and the little girl quickly moved back her from fear

"Don't touch it..."

"Eh?"

Both of them raised their stares to see Max. His hand held tightly against the spear and his eyes focused solely on them now.

"Don't touch the bird..." He said to them

His gaze, filled with such an intense yet silent loathing that didn't fail to be noticed in his tone. The fact he nearly impaled Lily's hand with his spear was shocking enough for them, but his stare alone was already sending chills down their spines.

"Hey, what's wrong!?" Said Alex, who heard Lily's scream and quickly turned around to see the scene taking place

Both the sportsman and the sailor were taken by surprise just now, but looking at the young man holding the spear tightly like he did and the two girl's pale expressions as they looked at him, it was easy to tell what just happened.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Asked Rick with an angered tone while trying to sound imposing as he walked towards Max, but quickly stopped after the young man looked over his shoulder and focused his stare on the sailor, making him stop right where he was while causing his grip on his machete's handle to tighten.

"Hey Max, that's enough!" Said Alex this time, trying to break the tension and avoid conflict to happen "We're a group! We shouldn't fight each other!"

The young man's gaze diverted towards the sporstman this time. But unlike before, it wasn't filled with a vicious loathing. Instead, it felt less aggravated than before.

Both of them looked at each other for a few seconds before Max closed his eyes and turned his head forward, his expression back to a neutral one.

"I told you already" He replied while pulling out his spear and turning around "I'm not planning to join your group"

"What!?"

"Come on, Wilson. We're leaving"

Calmly, the young man walked past both Rick and Alex with the Dodo following behind him as the whole group looked at him.

"Max, wait! Where are you going now!?"

"I saw another tower on the opposite direction while we were heading upstream" Replied Max without stopping or even looking at him "It's probably the same as this one, but still worth checking out"

As he kept walking away, Alex looked at the young man and grew irritated.

"Fine! Then we'll go there too!"

"What!?"

Still stubborn and decided to not leave Max by himself, the sportsman followed him with a hastened step.

"Ah! Alex, wait for us!" Said Lily while both her and Alice quickly got up and followed them as well.

"Hey!"

The sailor was almost baffled by this sudden group decision, but he knew none of them would listen to him. At this point, all he could do was follow them as everyone headed out of the small area under the tower and went towards the red tower.

*Scene*

Max walked among the trees, heading west towards the tower. The forests of the southern isles weren't exactly the easiet route or the one with the most visibility, but avoiding the larger rivers filled with giant dinosaurs such as the Spino from earlier was definitely the safer route.

Despite their density, the forests weren't all that hard to move through except for the usual rock formation getting in the way, and the casual channels of water that would need to be crossed were handy spots to resupply his waterskin and catch a few fish to eat. Of course, as long as one didn't stick around long enough to attract the attention of a predator, although most of the dinosaurs around the area seemed to be hervibores.

In all and all, it was bound to be a more or less calm trip. Or at least it would be, if it weren't for the unrequested company that chose to tag along for the ride.

"Why are you still following me?" He asked while still moving forward, not even turning his head to look at Alex

"We're not following you, we're just going to the same place" Replied the sportsman with a steady step

Ever since they left the green tower, Alex's group followed Max around to almost no end. At first he hoped they'd just start arguing and go somewhere else or that he could simply shake them off when they stopped to rest, but luck didn't play on his favor this time around.

Considering the towers were the only clue they had so far in regards to their whereabouts and current situation, there was hardly any room for arguments. Even Rick, who was most notably displeased with the young man's prescence, didn't argue at all. Or at least he didn't when he could hear him. And the latter was just as likely to not happen due to the constant stops for water and food through the channels, giving the group plenty of chances to rest and ressuply as well, avoiding exhaustion or lack of food and water.

In other words, he was stuck with them for the long haul.

"Hey...how long until we stop to rest?" Said Lily, already growing tired

"You have no stamina at all, do you?" Asked back Rick while looking at her

Despite her body not being fat or too skinny, probably thanks to her school's obligatory gym classes meant to keep the students healthy, the young woman had terrible physical endurance. This could be blamed on her focusing mainly on practicing and improving her art skills rather than her athletic skills.

"We had gym class in my school, but I was really bad at sports so I never did too well there" She replied while looking at him

"I'm surprised you're so skinny despite that" Said Alice, who was surprised by this.

"My mom always said I had good ginatics"

"I think the word you meant was "genetics""

"Ah! Yeah, that word!" Replied Lily while looking at Alex with a smile "My mom always said I had good genetics, so I never get fat even if I eat a lot"

"Ah, so you're one of those "genetically gifted" people" Said Rick while looking at her

"Genetically gifted?" Asked Alice while looking at him "What's that?"

"That's what they usually call people whose bodies "know" where to store all their fat at"

The little girl kept looking at the sailor, her expression showing she was still just as confused by the vague answer she received from him.

Rick simply looked at Lily and took a short gaze at her torso's "fat storages" for a moment, causing her to become curious as well, before looking at Alice again.

"You'll get it in a few years..."

"Oh...Alright..."

"Don't worry, Alice" Said the young woman while looking at her with a smile "I don't really get it either, but my mom always said it was a good thing, so I'm sure it's okay"

Both the sailor and the sportsman looked at Lily and sweat dropped. Despite having her moments, the young woman was generally oblivious or surprisingly innocent in regards to many things. Her lack of acknowledgemnt towards her well endowed chest, which wasn't exactly massive but still worth noticing, being one of such things. This was most likely just her lack of understanding towards the way males and some women thought about breasts, or simply her not caring about it. Either way, it was probably not the best subject to talk about around a child such as Alice

With the conversation that was meant to help time go faster creating an awkward atmosphere instead, the whole group remained silent until finally reaching a river and stopping at it for a while.

Thanks to learning about the implant's crafting system, Alex was able to make a few waterskins. That, combined with the two bottles that they found inside a few scattered bags, allowed them to carry a larger supply of water. And the few extra spears were helpful to fend off predators. Or in the current scenario, to hunt some fish.

There was the option to hunt the herbivores as well, but some of them seemed like they could easily turn very aggresive if approached carelessly, and the leftover meat would spoil too fast or attract unwanted carnivores. Therefore fish was the best choice. Surprisingly, the rivers had a few piranhas among the peaceful marine wildlife, but they were just as easy to kill as any of the other fish. One swift stab with the spear and they would be ready for cooking.

These casual stops took place at every small channel they came by, usually for the sake of gathering water rather than fish, as this was the resource that kept running out faster, while the latter was being saved for later in the day.

By the time it became late in the afternoon, they began to search for a place to sleep in. Fortunately, they found a small cave hidden within the forest in one of the islands. It wasn't quite as large as the last one they used as base, but it certainly was enough to keep them hidden for the night.

Rick made a campfire and began to cook the fish with Lily and Alice's help while Alex went to check up on Max, who had made a campfire of his own just a short distance away. Pieces of meat taken from the fish he hunted earlier could be found impaled with a thick stick over the fire, slowly cooking as he used a mortar and pestle to grind stone and flint, which he most likely gathered from the rocks around the smaller rivers while everyone else focused on gathering water. And Wilson, on the meanwhile, focused on eating his fill of berries from a small pouch.

"Hey there"

"Hey..."

"What are you doing?"

"Making sparkpowder"

"Sparkpowder?" Asked Alex, who had never heard the term before, while sitting down on a piece of wood "What's that?"

"According to the implant, it's a component that acts a lot like saltpeter"

"Right...Saltpeter..."

The young man took a moment to divert his eyes from the mortar and looked at Alex in silence before putting some more detail into his answer.

"The thing that people used to preserve food with back when fridges didn't exist along with salt?"

"Ohhhhh...That thing..."

"Don't you have chemistry class in the green school?"

As a school focused on every aspect of physical health and the body, the green school was the one focused not only around sports, but also the one with the largets focus of students seeking to enter the field of medicine. Therefore, clasess such as math and chemistry were seen far more often than in any of the other three schools.

"Yeah...I probably missed that class..." Replied the sportsman while diverting his eyes sideways before looking at him again "Anyway, how are you going to preserve food with that?"

"I'll probably just make a new bag to put the meat and the sparkpowder there. Like a portable fridge"

"I see..."

Even though hunting more food when the one they had ran out or spoiled was easier, the idea of being able to preserve food for longer did sound a lot more useful and convenient.

"By the way, why did you even made a campfire here?" Asked Alex, trying to change the subject into the one he wished to talk about "We already made one over at the cave"

"Don't you mean, they made the campfire while you came here to make sure I wouldn't run away during the night?"

"I really can't hide anything from you, can I?" Replied the sportsman while sweat dropping with his eyes closed

"You weren't trying very hard"

Alex opened his eyes after a moment or two and looked at Max once more. Maybe it was because of the trust they had with each other since they were kids, but despite the way his expression changed, and of how the only things he gave to the other members of the group were menacing stares or complete silence, the young man still mantained a sense of normalcy towards Alex in his converstaions. Meaning that whatever happened to him didn't completely destroy his mind. It changed him in a concerning way, yes, but at the very least he was still him.

"Hey, Max. Are you sure you don't want to stay with us back at the cave?" Asked Alex, going straight to the point in hopes of getting a positive result "It'd be a lot safer than staying here"

"Yes, I'm sure"

"I see..." Replied Alex, slightly dissapointed by the answer before looking at him again with a somewhat weak smile "Well, I should get going. If you change your mind, you know where we are"

With those last few words, the sportsman got back up and walked back to the rest of his group, who were already taking the first few bites out of their cooked fish. Meanwhile, Max remained where he was and resumed his task of making sparkpowder.

Wilson, who was done eating, approached the young man and looked at him for a moment or two before he finally noticed this stare and turned his head to stare back at him.

"What's wrong, Wilson?" He asked while looking at the Dodo "I'm already out of berries, if that's what you want"

The bird chirped in response to him, seemingly more interested in the conversation that took place earlier rather than on the berries.

"What do you mean by "why didn't you accept?"? You should know why" Replied the young man, who then received another chirp in response "Why else would it be?"

despite not being a very intelligent bird, Wilson knew very well what Max meant.

The reason he didn't accept Alex's invitation the first time, and why he keeps rejecting every opportunity he gives him to become a part of his group, is because of Lily and Alice. He wanted nothing more than to stay as far away as he could from them. And if it weren't for Alex and Wilson's decision to jump into the battle, he surely would have left both of them and Rick to die at the jaws of that Carnotaurus.

Again, Wilson chirped to respond. The tone similar as before, but seemingly clear as water for Max to understand.

"Of course they're like her...All women are like her, Wilson" He said while focusing on the mortar and resuming the grinding as he received a reponse from the Dodo "I just know, okay!? They're all like her, even if they don't look like it!"

The Dodo's constant questioning was starting to get under the young man's skin.

In his eyes, Lily and Alice didn't seem as bad as Amelia. The woman in green showed nothing but disgust towards anything that didn't strike her fancy and was quick to sweet talk others into doing as she wished. Lily, on the other hand, thought of him as cute and even tried to protect him from the other man who tried to attack him. In a way, she was a lot like Max, perhaps this being the reason why Wilson took a liking to her.

One more time, the bird decided to chirp. This time trying to ask a different question, which didn't seem to irritate the young man as much as it made him go into pensive thought.

""Talk to him about it" you say..." He replied, sounding a lot more calm this time. His eyes looking once more at his trusty companion "Just how on am I supposed to tell him about all of it? And even if I did, how would that help?"

By "all of it", Max didn't mean just what happened with Amelia's group and his near death experience, but also what happened afterwards. What happened with that Boris man, and what he did to him. Trying to explain all of that was a difficult thing to do, and hoping he would just accept all of it was even harder. Even if it was Alex, there was guarantee he would ever look at him the same way again.

This time, it took longer for Wilson to chirp. This time not to ask a question, but simply to tell him what he honestly thought.

"("It'll make you feel better", huh?)" He thought, repeating the bird's words within his own mind before looking again at the mortar and finally breaking his silence "Just go to sleep already, Wilson...Tomorrow will be a long day, and I need to get done with this so I can get some rest"

Dismissing his companion's advice, the young man returned to working on the sparkpowder, all while Wilson simply looked at him for a moment or two longer before deciding to do as he asked and nestle down to his feet, quickly falling asleep before Max did the same a few hours later. Afterwards, the night went by without any issue and with relative calm. And on the following day, they resumed their journey towards the red tower. Though it took a few hours, they finally reached the end of the southern isles. A large beach that stretched along the water and was sepparated from the next part of land by a wide body of water. Their objective right on view, still far away, but standing tall and far larger than it did before, showing them just how far they progressed so far.

"Alright, we're getting closer" Said Alex while looking at the tower in the distance

"So how long until we get there?" Asked Lily while looking at him

"Judging by the distance and size, I'd say it'll probably take us about a day or two" Answered Rick, who put one hand over his forehead to try and cover the bright sunlight and get a clearer view of the tower "If we're lucky"

"Does that mean we have to keep walking?"

"Yeah...A lot..."

"Awwwww..."

For Lily, all the walking they had done so far felt endless. And to find out they would probably have to do even twice that amount, it was impossible not to whine, even if just a bit.

"Come on, Lily. I know it looks like a lot now, but I'm sure we'll be there in no time" Said Alex while looking at her in an attempt to motivate her

"It's okay, Lily!" Added Alice while looking at her as well, trying to look and sound motivating like the sportsman "If Alex says we can do it, then I know we can do it!"

The young woman looked at the little girl. Even though the idea of such a long trip was making any motivation she felt crumble down at first, looking at that earnest expression was more than enough to fix it up right away.

"Okay, then I'll do my best!" She said, sounding a lot more motivated than before

"I'll do my best too!"

"That's the spirit, you two!"

"You people sure are being carefree about this..." Said Rick while looking at them and sweat dropping

Up until this point, the sailor couldn't help but feel a mixture of confusion and surprise at the way Alex, Lily and Alice were handling the situation. The fact Max, who he had yet to trust, was tagging along didn't do anything to help, honestly. Then again, a positive mindset and a clear goal in mind were much better than being consantly despairing and wandering aimlessly, so he didn't mind it all too much.

Even Wilson chirped to cheer for this motivation.

"Don't do that" Said the young man while looking at the Dodo.

"Alright, everyone. Let's get going" Said Alex while turning around and looking at the shore once more "It'll take some time to circle around the shore, but after that we'll be-"

"Uwahhhhhh! ! !"

As the sportsman began pointing out their route to the others after the short motivational speech, he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Wha-what was that!?" Asked Lily with a surprised tone

"It sounded like a scream..."

"Ah! Look over there!" Said Alice while pointing at the other side of the shore.

As all gazes focused on following the little girl's finger, they saw a person on the opposite shore. It was a girl with short twintails and a school uniform with blue lining similar to Max's running away from a large pack of small snake-headed dinosaurs. Better known as Compys. They numbered at almost a dozen and all chased after her in unison.

"Help! ! Someone please help me! !"

"That's a student!" Said Alex while looking at her

"They may be small, but If those things catch her, they'll kill her for sure!" Added Rick while looking at the pack of dinosaurs

"Come on, we have to help her!"

Quickly, the group ran up the shoreline, following the girl as she was being chased by the pack of compys. Well, everyone except Max, who simply stood there and looked at Wilson as he looked back at him for a moment in silence. He already knew well what the Dodo wanted, and what he would do unless he complied.

"Fine, I get it!" Replied the young man to the bird with an irritated tone "I'll help too, so stop staring at me like that!"

Reluctantly, Max quickly began to run towards the group with Wilson and caught up to them.

As they kept running, Alex caught sight of a small miniature island connecting both lands and had an idea.

"Hey, you! ! !" He yelled as loud as he could in an attempt to catch the girls attention, which seemed to work by the way she turned her head to look at him "Run towards the island over there! ! !"

The girl then looked forward at the direction the sportsman was pointing at, and tried her best to move faster. Unfortunately, her long winded stepping and clumsy way of running were clear signs she was already reaching her limit.

In the race against time, both sides kept running with everything they had, the lone girl pushing her limits for the sake of avoiding getting eaten alive. With every step feeling heavier than the last one, she kept going until finally managing to reach the miniature island. As she crossed through the shallow water, the girl failed to notice the rocks hidden underwater and hit one of them with her shoe, causing her to trip a few steps on her way out and fall down on the center of the miniature island.

It seemed as thought she was now at the mercy of the pack of tiny dinosaurs. But just as they ran forward, ready to overwhelm her with their numbers, the group had managed to reach the miniature island as well. Alex, Max and Rick quickly jumped over the shallow water and into the island, then dashed forward and right over the girl, charging at the Compys while Alice and Lily helped her.

The first one to attack was the sportsman, who held his spear with both hands and did an horizontal sweep using all of his strength, hitting the first three enemies that had jumped forward and sending them flying back. This was followed by the young man and the sailor, who ran past him and used their hatchet and machete to slash and hack their way into the battle. Together, the trio began to fight, stabing, hacking and slashing at the pack of dinosaurs which, despite their small size, were surprisingly resilient.

Every now and then, the Compys tried lounging at them or jumped at them from behind, but the group managed to repel them with a swift swing of their weapon or simply by grabbing them by their snake-like necks and tossing them off of them if they managed to get on their backs.

The battle was harsh at first due to being severely outnumbered, but they managed to hold their ground. Slowly and steadily killing them off while Lily tried to help the girl.

"Are you okay!?" She asked to her with a concerned tone while trying to help her get up "Did they hurt you!?"

The girl didn't answer with coherent words. Instead, she simply kept sobbing as tears flowed from her eyes. She was too scared to say anything right now. Unfotunately, that fear would only increase as one of the dinosaurs managed to slip past the trio and headed straight for them.

"E-Eeeeeek! !" She shrieked in terror as she saw it coming towards them, her arms wrapped around tightly around Lily

"U-Uwahhh!?"

"Shit!"

Alex suddenly heard their voices and tried to go and catch the straggler, but his path was cut off by the Compys that were still surrounding them, making it impossible for him to go help them.

"No-Nooooooo!"

The lone Compy roared at the three girls before slowly approaching and eventually attempting to lounge at them. Nonetheless, this attack was quickly cut off by Wilson, who quickly ran out in front of the girls and stood between them and the Compy while constantly flapping it's wings and making loud sounds to try and be menacing. Sometimes even using his beak as a weapon, thrusting it forward to force the dinosaur back.

Although the Dodo had failed miserably against the Carnotaurus, this time his enemy was one of equal size, making his attempts of intimidation and attacks much more effective.

Wilson bravely kept the straggler at bay while the trio kept fighting against the pack. Slowly but steadily reducing their numbers until just a few remained. And as the few that remained began to run away or got , Max quickly turned his head to look at Wilson's fight and took a hold of his bow, pulling out an arrow from his quiver and shooting it right away. The projectile hit the Compy right in the torso, going clean through its organs and killing it almost instantly.

With the last Compy dead, the young man walked towards it, placed his foot over the corpse and pulled out his arrow, which unfortunately broke in the process. He looked at it for a moment before tossing it to the water and looking at Wilson.

"There...You happy now?" He asked to the bird, who simply stared back at him for a moment before turning around and looking at Lily, who was still holding onto the girl.

Even though the fight was over, it took a while for her to calm down and be able to have a proper conversation.

"So, let's try this again" Said Alex while he and and Rick looked at her, sitting down with Lily and Alice at both of her sides "Can you tell us your name?"

"I'm Sally..." Replied the girl, seemingly with a timid and hesitant voice

"Okay, Sally...Why were you out here by yourself?" Asked the sportsman, this time using her name to try and get a better impact "Are you by yourself?"

"No...I'm with a group" Responded Sally, sounding a bit more calm, but with her stare still on the floor "I wanted to help everyone by gathering food, but I got attacked by the monsters"

"So you panicked and ran towards here?"

The twintails student simply nodded in agreement to Alex's hypotesis. Afterwards, she raised her eyes to look at the people around her, noticing almost all of them wore uniforms.

"You're students too?"

"That's right" He replied while nodding "I'm Alex, I'm from the green school. Those two are Alice and Lily"

"Nice to meet you. I'm from the purple school" Said the young woman while looking at her with a smile

"I'm still in elementary school, but I was planning to become a junior at the blue school next year" Added the little girl

"This guy here is Rick, he's a sailor from the boat we were in"

"Hey there..."

As she looked at each one of them, Sally's gaze eventually landed on Max, who was standing a short distance away. Instead of hearing the conversation, he seemed more focused on looking at the area around them. Maybe to keep an eye for predators, or simply because he didn't want to bother looking at her. Either way, the fact he had a blue uniform was what truly caught her attention. Granted it was torn on many spots and missing a sleeve along with the other one having only the upper half, but she could still notice the blue lining on the torso.

"Oh, right. I forgot to introduce him" Said Alex, who noticed her stare aimed at the young man, while looking at him before turning his head once more to look at her "That's Max"

"Max?"

Despite hearing his name twice, the young man didn't even bother turning his head to look at the group.

"Yeah, he's not much of a talker really" Explained the sportsman with a weak smile

"If that was his only problem..." Muttered Rick while looking sideways

"A-Anyway. Do you know where your group is?" Interrupted Alex, hoping to cut this conversation and change into a different subject "We can take you back to them if you want"

Sally looked for a moment at the sportsman in silence. While his intentions of helping her were honest, he also did it because he wished to come into contact with another group of survivors. The idea of joining up with them would make traveling a lot safer.

"Yes" Replied Sally while nodding and before pointing at the island she came from earlier "They're on a big piece of flat upland at the center of that island over there. That's where we're building a base"

"You're building a base?"

"Yes..." She replied once more "The Weathertop base. Led by Angela, the flower of the blue school"


	5. Bad touch

The group followed Sally back to the shore that she came from and entered the forest. It was far thinner than the ones they had crossed so far and many of the trees were either palms around the outer edge or very large trees around the deeper parts. The floor was completely covered with large green leaves due to the humid enviorement, but they didn't cause any inconvenience or halt to their steps since they walked through a path of dirt marked out on the grass, most likely made by the animals that usually traveled around the area over the years. After probably a few minutes of walking, they came along a large plateau and a sloped path leading up to the top of it. Once on the top, the forest and patches of sand were replaced by a large and open grassland, with very short vegetation that could hardly reach up to the calves and a few large rock formations spread out.

"Uwahhhh..." Said Lily while looking around her, a mixture of relief and enjoyment in her expression "This place is really pretty"

"Yeah, it really is" Replied Alex, who was also taking a moment to look around them

The feeling given by this place in comparison to the jungles and rivers they had to trek through so far was completely different. Here, the only things they could hear were the singing of the birds lingering within the trees of the forest surrounding the plateau and the footsteps of the large herbivores who wandered around just a moderate distance away, along with the blowing breeze of the wind, keeping them refreshed and cool despite the lack of shade to hide one from the bright rays of the sun.

In all and all, it was a very peaceful place. One that made you feel like there was no need to worry.

Along with Lily and Alex, Alice seemed to like it as well. Rick didn't feel as awed by it as the other since he was already used to exotic or natural views such as this one, and Max hardly seemed interested in it. He was far too focused on Sally and on where she was leading them.

Although she seemed harmless, the young man wouldn't let that make him lower his guard. Especially if one considered who they may end up meeting on her "Weathertop base" as she likes to call it.

"(Wait...Didn't I hear that name somewhere before?)" He thought while suddenly repeating the name whitin his mind, feeling like he had heard the name before

"We're almost there" Said Sally, who sounded more relieved. Probably due to knowing she was close to a place that she felt was safe from the dinosaurs wandering down at the forest.

True to her words, a formation that didn't seem natural became visible on the distance. It was hard to distinguish at first, but the group soon managed to get a better look after getting closer. It was a makeshift wall made out of sharpened wood spikes placed on a large circular pattern around an area.

"Is that your base?"

"Yes. That's weathertop"

At first they didn't see anyone, but the group managed to spot a few people within the base through the large gap in the spike wall, which was probably left out on purpose to act as an entrance. The few that could be seen so far were all dressed in the same uniform as Sally and Max's. They were constantly moving from one side to the other, seemingly working on the wall or on something located within it and they didn't seem to notice their arrival at first. But among those walking within, one female turned her head towards the exit by chance and saw them approaching. Her expression changing into one of surprise almost instantly.

"Sally!?" Said the red-headed girl with widened eyes.

"Milly! Everyone!" Replied Sally while waving one hand as high as she could

Without wasting a second, she ran forward as the girl within the base quickly ran towards her. Both of them meeting up with each other and hugging tightly, the relief and joy of being able to see their friend again clear in their expressions.

"Sally, where did you go!? I was worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry Milly! I'm so sorry!" Said Sally, a hint of regret in her tone as she was on the border of sobbing "I just wanted to help!"

The two girls hugged each other for a while longer before Milly noticed the group of people looking at them.

"Hey, Sally...Who are those people?"

"Ah, that's right!" Said the girl while letting go of her friend, then looking at them "They helped me when I got attacked by the monsters"

"Is that so?" Replied Milly while looking at her, then at the group with a thankful expression "Thanks a lot!"

"Don't mention it" Said Alex to her with a smile

The girl nodded in response to him before turning around and waving at the group of students gathered at the entrance, curious to know what was happening outside their base.

"Hey, everyone! Sally is back!"

Confusion was soon replaced by joy as everyone's expressions brightened up. When they walked to the entrance, the students quickly gathered around to greet them while those around the base began to approach as well, curious about what was happening.

"So you made it back okay" Said one female voice on the back

When hearing this voice, a few of the students turned their heads and moved aside, allowing a female student to step forward. She was a very atractive woman with fair white skin and long, waist-length smooth midnight blue hair. Her eyes had purple irises and seemed stern, but also hinted at a friendly look to them. Her uniform, just like that of any other student, was roughened up, but in a better state than that of anyone else in the base. This probably meant she was either making sure to take good care of it, was the one in charge and avoided physical labor, or simply had kept a spare uniform with her and recently changed into it.

"Angela..." Said Sally while looking at the woman who was known by those of the blue school as the blue flower discipline.

"Why did you suddenly leave like that?"

"I went to gather more berries" Answered the girl, trying to explain her actions while recalling how the lone Compy approached her before a whole group gathered "I just wanted to help. I didn't think something so small would be so dangerous"

"We already made it clear the other day that no one would leave unless it was in a group of at least three" Replied Angela with a stern tone "Those are the rules, remember?"

"I'm sorry..."

Angela looked at her for a moment or two before placing one hand on the girl's shoulder and smiling.

"Well, at least you're okay. And that's all that really matters" She said with a kinder tone while looking at her with relief "Just don't do it again next time, okay?"

Sally looked at her for a moment or two with upturned eyes before smiling once more and nodding with a bit of a blush.

"Yes! I understand!"

"That's good to know..." She said to her before putting her hand away, allowing Sally to talk with her friends, and turning her head to look at Alex and the others "You're the ones that helped her make it back in one piece, right? Thank you"

"Yeah, thanks a lot!" Added Milly while looking at them, wishing to thank them one more time

"Don't worry about it" Replied Alex while looking at her "We all have to work together, right?"

"That's right" Said Angela after nodding in agreement, her calm smile showing how glad she felt about meeting other people who shared a similar mindset to hers "Right now, the only way to make it through this dangerous situation is to unite and work together as a group"

"Honestly, I imagined the people here would probably be happy to see her, but not to this extent" Said Rick, who was surprised by the the warm welcome Sally received while looking at her.

Angela turned her head to look at the twintailed girl as well before making a somewhat dejected expression.

"Unfortunately, many of our fellow students weren't as lucky as us and fell prey to the jaws of the beasts that live within this island" She said, her tone sounding more sorry than before, but quickly brightening up after looking at Sally and her friends talking with each other "Some of the students here lost more friends than they can even count, so having one make it back safely is a joy we don't get to have very often"

"I see..." Replied the sportsman, his gaze lowered slightly as he grew pensive about the many students thay may have passed away so far "I'm sorry to hear that"

Due to finding Max alive and to the relative safe travels he had with his group so far, Alex didn't even consider the idea that other students may have died already. It was a painful but undeniable reality that not everyone would make it through in such a hellish place filled with wild monsters at every corner. As a matter of fact, he himself just barely managed to avoid becoming a part of that nameless group of victims the other day. If it weren't for Max, then he probably wouldn't even be here to think about it right now.

"There's no need to apologize. This wasn't anyone's fault" Said Angela while looking at him with a thankful expression before looking at the rest of the group.

She noticed most of them except Rick and Alice, who belonged to the elementary branch, were fellow students, but the one that caught her attention the most was the lone person standing just outside the entrance with a large bird next to him. The fact he was wearing a blue uniform, besides from the Dodo, were the first details to catch her focus. Even though she knew the names and faces of almost every blue student due to her job as the president of the student board, the slight shade made by both the head cloth and the bangs flowing out of it covered Max's upper face and made it difficult for her to discern his identity. The fact he was seemingly trying to avoid eye contact and looking sideways didn't really help much.

"Excuse me..." She said while leaning sideways, her stare still focused on the young man "But is that person a part of your group too?"

Angela's question caused the sportsman to snap out of his train of thought and turn around to look at Max.

"Ah, yes. He is part of our group" Replied Alex after realizing she was talking about him

He couldn't really say he was surprised by Max's apprehensive attitude towards approaching the base and the group of students gathered there, considering he seemed very wary during the whole trip, and especially when the young man always tried so hard to keep his distance from Alex and the others when they were just a small group of only four people. Being among a much larger group probably did nothing but make things even worse,

"Hey, Max! What's the hold up!?"

"Max?" Asked Angela, who looked at the young man and focused her stare for a few moments before her eyes widened in surprise "Max Rockwell?"

"You know him?" Asked Rick

"Yes. We were in the same class" She answered while looking at the Sailor, then at him again "I never saw him wearing a headwear like that, so I couldn't recognize him at first"

"I see..."

While Alex walked towards Max to see if he could convince him to stop hanging at the entrance and come inside, the blue flower kept staring at him. The sportsman kept talking to him as he listened, but the young man didn't seem all too interested or keen on the proposition. During this few moments, Max diverted his eyes sideways and caught a glance of Angela looking at him. Their eyes met for merely a few seconds, but this was more than enough to make the young man's calm and impassive stare inmediately turn into a spiteful gaze aimed straight at her, almost as if he were tossing daggers rather than staring. This sudden change took her by surprise and even sent a chill down her spine, making her break a cold sweat.

The oppressive stare lasted only for a few seconds before Max closed his eyes and turned away, walking away from the base.

"Hey, Max! Wait a second!" Said Alex in a vain attempt to stop him

Without even heeding his words, the young man kept walking and didn't even bother looking back. Shortly after, Alex walked back to the group with a slightly heavier step and a head leaning forward.

"Yeah...I think he wants to stay outside for now, if you don't mind" He said while looking at her and scratching the back of his head

"Figures..." Added Rick with his arms crossed

"Sorry about that. Max isn't all too keen on the group mentality yet"

"Eh?" Replied Angela, whose mind was still thinking about the young man, before suddenly reacting with a weak smile and both hands in front of her "N-No! I don't mind at all!"

Both Alex and Rick noticed there was something odd about her reaction just now, but neither commented on it.

"A-Anyway, I'm sure you're tired from traveling so much" Said the blue flower, trying to change into a different subject "We don't have much, but I can give you some water if you want"

"Sure thing"

Having accepted her offer, Alex and the others followed Angela to the center of the base, which also worked as a small tour.

The camp wasn't too big. It only had a makeshift, circular wall of spikes surrounding it along with two small structures made of thatch and bamboo. The large amount of sleeping bags inside both places suggested these worked as some sort of sepparate dorm for both guys and girls to sleep in and change in private.

In the center of it all, there was a campfire with logs placed in a circle around it in a similar fashion to what you'd see in a boy scout camp. This was most likely the place where everyone gathered to eat during meals.

Once there, they sat down. And one by one, they were given cups fashioned out of bamboo with water in them by a female student, which seemed to be perhaps the blue flower's assistant.

"Thank you" Said Lily while looking at her with a smile

Seeing that everyone had a cup, Angela sat down with them, holding a cup of her own.

"Water isn't an inmediate concern to us, so don't be afraid to ask for another cup if you want to"

Calmly, everyone took a sip of their own. Alice and Lily focused more on drinking their water while Rick and Alex looked at the students moving all around the base, carrying pieces of wood and helping to build new parts of the wall or attempting to make it sturdier.

"So you built all of this?" Asked Rick, being the first one to break the momentary silence "This "Weathertop" place?"

"Yes...It was difficult at first, but the island was too dangerous for us to simply keep wandering around aimlessly" Explained Angela to the sailor "With our large number of people, I decided it would be safer to build a camp"

"I see..."

"None of us is an experienced builder, but some were aiming for architecture collegue, so we more or less managed to get by with what we had" She explained further, trying to help them understand the situation behind the birth of the Weathertop "This plateau is wide open and without many herbivores, so predators are rare and easy to spot. That, along with the small shore lake on the other side and the forests around us, we had more than enough supplies to settle down here"

"But what about food?"

"There are many plants we can gather berries from and the lake has fish that we can hunt as well"

"Looks to me like you have everything you need here" Said Rick, referring to the ample amount of both building supplies and food

"Yes, we do..." Replied Angela, seemingly sounding concerned about something "Unfortunately, we still have a large amount of problems to deal with"

The blue flower's words made the group imagine she meant the dinosaurs, but they realized this wasn't the case after seeing her lift her left forearm and look at her implant.

"Right now everyone has a task to keep their minds occupied, but I'm sure they're constantly thinking about this thing as well...And I don't even have an answer to give them" She said to them while looking at it, a notable concern in her eyes

Thanks to her quick thinking and leadership skills, Angela managed to band up the blue students together and build a place where they could stay relatively safe from the dangers of the island, as well as avoid running out of food and water. Unfortunately, keeping morale high was probably the biggest problem.

For any group and leader, morale was very important and sometimes even the thing that kept order from crumbling down into chaos. The constant day to day efforts and duties given to each person helped them keep stress and anxiety at bay, but the more days went by, the more they would keep thinking about the implant on their arm. A tool that, while greatly helpful for their survival, was also a grim reminder of their current situation

"I know what you mean" Replied Alex while looking at his own implant as well "This whole interface and crafting system are like something straight out of a sci-fi movie"

"Hold on a second..." Said Angela while suddenly rising her head and looking at the sportsman with surprise "You know about the implant's abilities too?"

"Max told us about it a few days ago" Answered Lily this time

"Or rather, he told Alex how to use it, and Alex told us how to use it" Corrected the sailor

"He told me that he found out how to make it work after touching one of those supply drops" Added the sportsman, ignoring Rick's remark

"Supply drops?"

"You know about those light pillars popping up around the island every now and then?" Asked Alex to start off his explanation "According to him, those things have useful stuff inside them that you can take using the implant's interface. Kind of like loot boxes in videogames"

"I see...So that's what those flashing lights were" Said Angela with a pensive expression while lowering her gaze slightly and placing one finger and thumb under her lower lip "A part of me told me they might be important, but I didn't want to risk putting the others in danger for a random chance"

"Wait...Then how did you fnd out how to use the implant?" Asked Alex

"I guess you could call it a lucky strike" She answered calmly. A small smile forming on her face as she recalled the surprise she took the first time her implant activated "I spend a lot of time trying to analyze it during the first week, and eventually activated it by accident one day"

After discovering the abilities of her implant, the blue flower dedicated almost an entire week of her time to figure out how to get the hang of using it before telling her group about her findings.

As her mind wandered on the implant, Angela turned her head to look to the grasslands outside the base and caught a glimpse of Max. He was sitting on top of one of the rock formations. His spear in hand and the bird sitting next to him.

"But to think he was still alive all this time..."

"Somehow, you don't sound very happy to see him" Said Alex while looking at her and sweat dropping after hearing her tone

"N-No! I didn't mean it like that!" She quickly replied while looking at them, then at the young man "I'm really glad to see another classmate alive, but I just didn't think he'd be able to survive after falling to the ocean during that sudden storm"

Among those within the ship at the time of the storm's peaking rage, Angela was one of the few that were outside. And to her horror, she caught a clear sight of those unfortunate few who slipped off and fell into the ocean's raging waters before the flash of light swallowed the entire ship, Max being one of said people.

"Either way. What matters is that you're all okay" Said Angela in an attempt to bring up a more cheerful subject "You're all welcome to stay if you wish. We could always use a few extra pairs of hands around here"

"Well, we were planning to head out to the red tower" Replied Alex, who was thinking about the whole point of their journey so far "But I guess we could stay here a day or two and try to stock up on some extra supplies"

"So the red tower is your objective?"

This time, the blue flower seemed much more interested to hear about this.

"Yes" Answered the sportsman while nodding "You see, the things is..."

He then proceeded to explain Angela about how they went to the base of the green tower a couple of days ago and how they used the implants to access the console at the center. He also told her about the "artifacts" that were seemingly needed to activate the tower.

"I see...I assumed the towers held some sort of clue regarding our current situation and the nature of the implant, but it was just that. An assumption." She said with a pensive expression. her index finger and thumb once again placed under her lower lip as she thought carefully about the new information she received "And you say we need these "artifacts" to activate the tower's panel?"

"I'm not really sure" Replied Alex while looking at her "All I know is that those things are probably scattered somewhere in the island, and the only way to make the tower work is by finding them and taking them there"

"Any idea where they could be?"

"Not at all" Replied the sailor this time "We were planning to check out the other towers to see if they had some clue as to where we could find them"

"I think I understand your logic there" Said the blue flower before her face became slightly more stern "But I also think it's important to note that the red tower may not give any answers at all...And even if we did find the artifacts and took them to the towers, there's no guarantee it'll be a way back home"

"I know that. But right now, this is pretty much the only lead we have" Said Alex, trying to respond to her logic.

When hearing his answer, Angela took a moment of silence to think before speaking again.

"Say, I was originally thinking about making a small group to go and check out the red tower once things became more ordered around here" She explained while looking at Alex "So if it's not too much trouble, could I tag along with you? I'd like to see it with my own two eyes"

"Well, I don't really mind" Said Alex before looking at Lily and Rick "What about you guys?"

"I like it when there's more people, so I'm okay with it" Said Lily, being the first one to agree with Angela's request

"I don't mind either" Added Rick while looking at him before pointing with his thumb at the young man "You're probably gonna need to convince him, though"

"If that's the case, then how about I try talking to him?" Asked the blue flower "I'm sure I can convince him"

"Don't even bother. He doesn't talk to anyone except for Alex" Replied the sailor with his arms crossed and eyes closed "The most you could get out of him is a nasty stare"

Angela was about to retort, but then recalled the spiteful stare Max gave to her earlier. Just as Rick said, he probably wouldn't listen to a word she said. It confused her why he would have such a hostile behavior towards her, but she couldn't allow this to stop her.

"Don't worry about Max. I'll try talking to him later" Interrupted Alex, who noticed Angela's concerned expression

"Are you sure about it?"

"Yeah, I'm sure" He replied to her "I can't promise you he'll be happy about it, but I'm sure I can try and convince him"

"I see..." She said while lowering her gaze slightly before looking at him again "In that case, I'll leave that to you"

The sportsman nodded in agreement. He knew that convincing Max would probably be very difficult, if not downright impossible, but he was more than willing to try.

"Alright then. It's settled" Said Angela while getting up from her log "I'll need a couple of days to prepare everything in advance and make sure everyone can keep working steadily in my absence, so please make yourselves at home for the time being"

With their plan agreed upon, everyone decided to stay in the camp for the rest of the day and start the preparations tomorrow, eating together with the blue students around the campfire later at night while the young man made a campire for himself outside the base.

*Scene*

"At the count of three" Said Alex while looking at Rick and getting a hold of the large wooden spike "You ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready"

"Okay...One...Two...Three!"

At the same time, both men used their full strength to lift the wooden spike and carry it towards the wall, placing it over the log at the center for a couple of students to tie them up together with fiber.

"Alright..." Said the sportsman while using his forearm to wipe of the sweat from his forehead "Let's go get the next one"

The sailor nodded and went along with him to get the next spike. Following the same process as before, they carried one spike after the other, helping to build and to reinforce the walls around the Weathertop.

After their arrival to the base and conversation with Angela, Alex and the others decided to stay for a couple of days in order to stock up on supplies for the rest of their journey to the red tower. A journey in which they agreed to take the blue flower along with them once she was finished with her preparations.

In order to spend the extra time and to help the base, Alex and Rick offered to help with the walls while Alice and Lily helped gather berries from the grasslands around the base with the other students that had this as their daily task.

"So...What happened with Max?" Asked the sailor while looking at him, his breathing slightly heavier and sweat running down his forehead as well while both of them carried a spike

"Yeah...About that..." Replied the sportsman "I'm not all too sure I convinced him...I was right about him not being happy at all about Angela tagging along, though"

"So what are you gonna do now?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll try talking to him again on the afternoon...Hopefully I'll be better with my words this time around"

"I have to be honest with you. I'm surprised he didn't pull out his hatchet on you yet"

"I like to think of that as a token of confidence"

With one more push, both the sportsman and the sailor placed the last spike, allowing the blue students to tie it up.

"There...That one's done"

"Thanks for the help, guys" Said the student while he and his partner fastened the spikes with fiber "We'll take care of the rest"

"No problem"

After spending the whole morning helping build the walls, both Alex and Rick were able to take a break as two other blue students took over for them. Both of them sitting down in a pile of logs that had yet to be sharpened.

"Hey, I'm gonna go check on the girls" Said the sportsman while looking at the sailor "Wanna go with me?"

"Nah, I think I'll stay here for a bit longer" He replied while bending his upper body and placing both forearms on his legs "I want to catch my breath before we start working on the wall again"

"Okay. I'll see you later, then"

Alex got back up on his feet and walked away towards the entrance while Rick looked at him for a moment, then lowered his head and sighed.

So far things were going fine for them and the journey went surprisingly well, despite the initial issues he had with Max. One would normally feel happy, but the sailor couldn't help but worry something may end up happening again and things ended up getting out of hand.

If such a thing happened, then what should he do?

"Hey, did you hear about that dude hanging outside the base?" Said one of the students working on the spike wall just a few feet behind him

"The one with the bandana and weird bird pet?"

"Yeah, that one"

When hearing the two students talking about the young man, Rick turned his head and looked at both of them over his shoulder. His ears shutting away the sound of footsteps and wood chopping and instead focusing on their conversation.

"Apparently, that's Max Rockwell"

"The guy everyone says has a problem with women?"

"Yeah"

"(Problem with women?)" Thought the sailor while listening to them

"I heard he's really aggresive towards everyone, but mostly towards women" Said the first student

"To be honest I imagined he'd be more dangerous, but he didn't seem all that bad" Replied the second student, recallng how quiet Max was instead of the punk-ish attitude he imagined at first "It's kind of creepy how he never talks and always stays out there, though"

"Why isn't he here helping with the wall like his group?"

"Some people say he's out there because Angela put him on guard duty"

"I think that's just a bunch of crap" Replied the first one "Angela is probably just too scared to try and boss him around like with us"

"You sure about that?" Asked the second student, who knew well of her reputation to never back out even against the nastiest of troublemakers

"Dude, didn't you see the way he stared at her yesterday?" Said the first student, recalling how Max stared at the blue flower from a distance like he wanted to rip her head off "Besides, there's also what he did to that senior back a few years ago too"

"Oh, right..." Replied the second one, the expression on his face showing he wasn't recalling a very nice memory "I'm still surprised he didn't get expelled for that"

"I'm more surprised he didn't do jail time for that"

"(Jail time?)"

"Hey, you two!" Said Angela with a stern tone "If you have time to gossip, how about you focus on doing your job!?"

When turning their heads, both students and Rick saw the blue flower standing almost in front of the sailor, looking at the two guys who were more focused on their chat rather than their work with a stern and impatient expression.

"Ye-Yes!" Replied both of them with a slight fear at the same time before quickly focusing on the wall once again.

Rick looked at them before diverting his stare towards Angela, who was also looking at him while handing him a bamboo cup.

"Good work"

"Thank you"

The sailor took a sip of the cup before looking at it, then at her again. The blue flower didn't have more than three or four of those cups on her, but she carried a couple of plastic water bottles on a bag to fill them up multiple times.

Although it was a nice gesture of her to offer him water, it did make him wonder why would the one in charge of the Weathertop base be working as a waterer. Not like it was a bad thing, but it certainly wasn't the type of job someone in the postion of leader would take up on. This curious stare was one Angela noticed without too much difficulty, as it was already one she received many times already.

"Not exactly the job you'd expect someone called "the flower of discipline" to do, is it?" She asked with a weak smile, realizing he probably imagined someone with such a title to be more of dictator-like leader.

"Not really..." Replied the sailor while recalling one of his supervisors, which hardly ever moved a finger while watching him and the other low tier employees do all the work "At least not where I used to work"

"Well, I guess you wouldn't imagine the boss doing a job like this. But I think it's very helpful" She explained while receiving the now empty cup from him and placing it in the bag "As the leader, I have to supervise everyone and make sure they're doing their job. I imagined that, since I'm already at it, I could also help keep everyone hidrated too"

"I see..."

Looking at the students around him so far, Rick noticed that everyone was hard at work. Nonetheless, a few began to take a slower pace with their jobs every now and then. Sometimes even stopping almost completely. The only reason things were going as steadily as they were was most likely thanks to Angela's persistence to keep everyone focused on working.

"Everyone has been hard at work for the last weeks and thanks to that the wall is almost complete" Said the blue flower while sitting next to him "Unfortunately, this is also making some people take things more slowly"

With the lack of animal attacks and the feeling of safety given to them by the wall surrounding their base, the sense of urgency that overwhelmed the students was beginning to lessen. In a way it was a good thing, but moments of success and prosperity usually bred complacency. This resulted in the sutdents beginning to put less effort on their duties. Many were still hard at work, but some began to become more and more easy-going, and the number of those following in their footsteps keeps growing with each passing day.

"In a way, it makes me glad that they feel at least a bit safer, but it also makes me worry they may get careless because of it" She said with her gaze lowered towards her knees

"Success breeds complacency..."

"What?"

"It's something an old sailor thaught me back when I worked in a fishing boat" Replied Rick while looking "He always told me to be careful, especially when things are going well. Because if you get too relaxed from weathering through one storm, you'll fail to see the next one coming to hit you in the face"

"That's exactly what worries me..." She said as her face showed a mixture of stern and concern "Thigs are fine now, but no one knows how long it'll last like that..."

Among Angela's greatest concerns, one was how unpredictable their situation was.

The spike walls were a strong defense against the wild animals living in the island, but they weren't invinsible or impenetrable. If one day the dinosaurs attacked and managed to break through, then the very walls they built to keep themselves safe would turn into an inescapable trap.

"Hey, Angela..."

"Yes? What is it?" She asked while raising her head to look at Rick

The sailor looked at her for a moment or two before finally speaking again.

"No...It's nothing" He said with his eyes closed before getting back up "Anyway, I think it's about time I go back to work"

"Oh...Okay then..." She replied, slightly confused

Angela had the feeling Rick wanted to ask something important, but imagined it was probably best not to ask, as he may have a reason not to say it. On the sailor's side, he simply felt like asking about the things those students said earlier would do nothing but add up to her list of problems, and she probably had too much on her plate already to be worrying about rumors.

"In that case, I'll be on my way too" She added while getting up as well "Good luck with the wall"

"Thanks" He replied while turning around and walking towards the spike walls as he raised one hand slightly "Good luck with the hidration"

The blue flower's eyes widened in surprise after hearing Rick's odd reply, but nonetheless cracked a small smile after a few seconds. As odd as it may have been, she couldn't help but find it funny enough to smile. It was actually quite a refreshing feeling, considering she didn't find many chances to do that lately.

With a more uplifted mood, Angela turned to the opposite direction and began to walk around the base, serving water to those who were working hard and making sure those who weren't would start working just as hard too. After around half an hour of moving from one place to the other, the bottles she was carrying were almost all empty.

"(I guess I'll have to go refill them at the lake again...)" She thought while looking at the empty bottles within her back

With her water supplies depleted, Angela headed towards the entrance to see if there were some boys working on the wall which she could take with her for protection.

"(Hm...Maybe we should try building some way to store more water or even to make getting it easier once we're done with the wall...)" She thought pensively while walking "(Maybe a water tank, or a pipe system?)"

Her mind dwelved and searched for a way to address the issue and to fix it in the most efficient way possible, even if the ideas floating whitin her mind felt a bit too ambitious right now, before reaching the entrance. Once there, she looked around but found no one working on the walls at the moment. There were only three students lazying around. One was blonde with an afro/perm hairstyle, the second had a shaved head with a goatee and the third had short black hair. All three of them sat around in a circle, seemingly talking about something that her ears didn't reach to hear. But that didn't matter to her as much as the fact that they were completely ignoring their duties.

"Hey, you three!" She said with a stern and loud tone, making sure to sound imposing "What do you think you're doing!?"

The trio turned their heads and looked at her with an irritated stare as one of them clicked his tongue.

"What do you mean?" Asked the one with black hair, his tone sounding irritated "We're taking a break from working"

"Yeah, we've been working our ass off all morning" Added the one with the perm

"If you were really working, then why are all the spikes and fiber still piled up over there?" She asked while pointing at the pile of building supplies less than a feet away from them.

The trio looked at the supplies as well, but didn't reply right away.

"Have you been lazying around all day AGAIN!?"

"Oh, come the fuck on!" Complained the blonde student "The stupid wall is done already! Why put more spikes!?"

"Yeah, really" Added the shaved student "What's the damn point?"

"It's for your safety! For everyone's safety!" She snarled back at them, still as stern as before "And if you don't, then at least try finding something useful to do! Otherwise I'll-"

"What?" Asked the black-haired student while suddenly getting up and facing her, walking towards her while giving her an irritated stare "What are YOU gonna do, miss flower?"

Despite having a decent height for a woman, Angela was still shorter than the trio of students. Not only that, but the punk-ish troublemakers were good at intimidating other people.

"You gonna write it down on paper? You're gonna bitch about it to a teacher?" He said, marking out the two specific things she always did in order to enforce the school's rules but was now unable to do, while getting his face closer to hers "Come on, tell me..."

"I'll...I'll...!"

"You can't even make that dude out there move his ass, so why do WE have to?"

"Tha-That's...!"

When seeing Angela struggle to give an answer, a rather arrogant grin formed on the student's face. She was breaking a cold sweat, and he could tell.

"Your bitch ass can't do shit here..." He said while looking straight in the eye, his grin turning into a vicious one "The only reason anyone listens to you is cause of that flower bullshit, but I ain't budging to that crap"

Hearing his words caused the blue flower's eyes to widen. She wanted to argue back against it, but words wouldn't come out of her mouth for some reason.

"Hey..." Said a voice with a rather calm, yet notably stern tone

When everyone looked at the source of the voice, they saw Alex standing behind her. His stare focused fully on the black-haired student and seeming more intimidating than friendly.

"Don't you think you're being a bit rude to her?"

"The hell are you!?" Asked the blonde student while standing up and walking closer with an irritated expression and tone "You tring to pick a fight or something!? Imm'a break your friggin jaw!"

"Try it..." Asked Alex while looking at him, the imposing stare turning into a menacing one

The black-haired student broke a cold sweat. Even if he wasn't being as talkative as yesterday, he could tell that Alex's stare was the stare of someone who knew how to swing his fists. If he or any of the other two tried something, they would definitely end up with more than just a few bruises.

"Wh-Why you-!" Said the blonde student while closing his fist and taking a step further before being suddenly stopped by the black-haired student "Hey, why are you-!"

The student simply looked at Alex, both of them exchanging stares for a few moments, before he saw to his left and noticed a large group of students gathered, spying out of curiosity to know what was going on. It took another moment or so before clicked his tongue and turned around.

"Let's get out of here..." He said while turning around and walking away

The two other students didn't seem all too happy about his decision, but followed it nonetheless.

"You got lucky this time, bitch!" Yelled the blonde student while they left.

Alex kept his stare focused on the trio as they kept walking away to make sure they would leave before looking at Angela, his eyes regaining their friendly look.

"Are you okay?"

"Ye-Yes..." She said with a slight stutter before turning around to look at him "Thank you"

"No problem" He replied with a smile before noticing her bag filled with empty bottles "What's with all the bottles?"

"Oh, that..." Replied Angela while looking at her bag, then at him again.

While looking at him, the blue flower recalled she was originally looking for someone that could help her.

"If it's okay with you, can I ask you a favor?"

The sportsman raised an eyebrow when hearing it, but didn't refuse it, nor did he refuse her request to accompany her to the outer lake connecting to the ocean just outside the Plateau. Once there, he kept guard with a spear in hand while she filled up the bottles one after the other.

As she sunk one bottle after the other, allowing the water to freely flow into it, her mind dwelled into what happened earlier. The words said by the trio echoing constantly within her head.

"(So in the end, I really can't do anything here?)"

So far, the blue flower was doing her best to unite a group of over twenty people and help them stay alive in an island filled with wild beasts, constantly thinking and worrying about how to proceed. She was probably just as scared as everyone else, but didn't let those fears show. Otherwise people would probably have a harder time trusting her ability for leadership and troublemakers just like those tree would become even harder to keep in line.

"Hey, Angela. Are you okay?"

"Eh?" She said while quickly snapping out of her train of thought, then looking at Alex "Yes!"

Now that all the bottles were filled up, she closed them and stored them back in the bag before getting up on her feet while facing him.

"There. I'm done" Said the blue flower while putting the bag's strap on her shouder "Sorry for the wait"

"Don't worry about it..."

"Now, let's go back"

The sportsman nodded in agreement and walked with her back towards the base. On the way there, the expression on her face showed she was still pensive about what happened. This was something the sportsman didn't fail to notice.

"Hey. If you're still thinking about those guys, then stop worrying" He said while looking at her "They're just a bunch of douchebags"

Angela was surprised he figured out what was going through her mind, even if it was only part of it, but replied as calmly as ever.

"My worry isn't about those tree specifically" She replied while looking at him "My real worry is that some people are starting to follow in their footsteps"

"What do you mean?"

"At first everyone was hard at work, but things suddenly changed after those three found their way into our base a few days before you and your group did" Explained Angela while they walked together "At first their lazyness and lack of cooperation made them the main problem, but more and more students have begun to imitate them. It has gotten so bad that our progress is being hindered"

"So you think they're being a bad influence for the others?"

"More than a bad influence, I think a bad excuse would fit better" Said Angela while recalling the last days "Over the last weeks, everyone has been feeling safer, but also has begun to lose their sense of urgency as well. They feel like there's no point putting in so much effort, and those three are proving them right"

"Why not just straighten them up?" Asked the sportsman "You know, pick a few male students and give them a good lesson"

"Are you telling me to rely on violence?" She asked back while looking at him

"Not everyone listens to words, especially people like them"

"Still...How would that make me any different from them?" She asked once more before facing forward with a dejected expression "Maybe I'm not cut out for this, after all..."

Alex looked at her in silence for a moment or two as the blue flower sunk deeper and deeper into her concerns.

He had a far easier time making the trio back off earlier thanks to his bulkier musculature and imposing personality, but Angela lacked those sort of qualities. Her main tools to keep people such as them tame were usually the autority of the teachers or her tittle as one of the four flowers, but those things had no meaning in this place. Right now, she had nothing but herself to pull forward.

In other words, she was pretty much powerless against anyone that refused to listen to her. And this inability to bring order caused the other students to start losing their confidence in her as a leader. She was aware of this shortcoming from her part, and felt a terrible sense of failure.

"If you're failing, you're trying. If you're trying, you care. And if you care, you can"

"Did you come up with that just now?"

"Nope. Max told me that a few years ago"

Angela quickly turned her head to look at the sportsman with a surprised expression.

"Max did?"

"Yeah" Replied the sportsman while nodding "You see. I'm really good at sports but I suck at stuff like math and chemistry, and I had this really nasty chemistry test to do if I wanted to become a first year on the green school. Max was better at studying than me, so I asked him for help"

"And you passed the exam?"

"Nope"

"Yo-You didn't?" She asked while sweat dropping

"I totally screwed it up" He told her while diverting his gaze towards her, then looking forward again "I worked pretty hard, so I was down in the dumps afterwards. But then Max came by, told me the same thing I told you early and helped me study again for the second try"

"And what happened that time?"

"I nailed it, and with a good score too" Replied the sportsman while making a somewhat relaxed smile "I guess seeing how hard Max was trying to motivate me had a strong impact on me, because I still remember those words whenever things go downhill"

"To think that Max would say something like that..."

As the one in charge of her class and part of the student board, Angela usually had to deal with the troublesome students that had a problem following the rules. Max was generally a calm person when left alone and a student that didn't break any rules or even cause any serious trouble, but his rather smartmouted and rude behavior towards others, especially towards the females, along with his utter lack of ability to cooperate with others, made him someone she had to lecture constantly. Most of the time he argued against her or simply ignored her with a rather irritated attitude, which only got her even more irritated. She never imagined he'd be the type of person help others or to motivate them.

"He may be crude towards women and bad-tempered in general, but Max is a really caring person when you get to know him better"

"I see..."

It was hard for Angela to imagine that the words of Alex were true, but people were known to usually have a hidden side that they would only allow a certain few to see. Perhaps Max was no different.

"I guess it is possible..." She said while considering the idea of a kind and caring Max before suddenly recalling his loathing stare again "With that said, though. He seems...different from before..."

"Yeah...I know..."

"Did something happen to him after the storm?"

"I don't know. I spent almost the first two weeks looking for him" Replied Alex. His stare focused forward "By the time we found him, he was already acting the way he does now..."

"Didn't you try talking to him about it?"

"Yeah, a few times. But whenever I try, he instantly changes the subject or simply doesn't respond"

"I see..." She replied before recalling the Dodo "Maybe it has something to do with that bird he's always with?"

"Maybe" Said the sportsman while looking at her "All I know is that he's extremely overprotective of it. He lashes out at anyone that gets too close too to that bird, especially at Lily and Alice. Hell, even I can't get too close to Wilson without him getting uneasy"

"Wilson?"

"That's what he calls it...Why? Does it matter?"

Angela took a moment to think about it.

Names were usually things that held deep meanings or expressions, but she felt like there was nothing of significant importance about the Dodo's name. At least nothing that she could notice right now.

"No, I don't think so"

"Honestly, I don't know what to do..." Said Alex while looking forward, his expression showing a mixture of concern and sadness "Nothing I try seems to get through to him"

Angela looked at his saddened expression and felt like she needed to say something. It was the least she could do after he tried to cheer her up.

"Don't worry Alex. He's probably still shaken up from what happened during the storm and from the stress of this island" She said while trying to sound comforting with a smile "I'm sure he'll recover soon"

"I really hope so..."

The sportsman didn't seem fully motivated, but at least he looked a bit better.

"(But with that said, though. Is that really enough to alter a person in such a way?)" Thought the blue flower with a pensive expression

While what happened on the storm would be quite traumatic and the stressful situation of having to survive on such a strange island added up, she felt like those two shouldn't be enough to alter a person's mental state, at least not in such a drastic way.

As she kept thinking deeply about it, the two of them reached the plateau and went up to the grasslands. Unfortunately, the usually calm plains retained that calm for a very short time.

"Angela!"

After hearing her name being yelled out, the blue flower snapped out of her train of thought and looked around her. The first thing she saw was a female student running towards them as fast as she could.

"Isn't that...Sally?" Asked Alex, who looked at her with a confused expression

As both of them looked at Sally approaching, she kept running until being in front of them, then placed both hands on her knees from exhaustion.

"A...Angela...There's...There's...!" She said, or at least tried to, between long breaths

"Hey, take it easy there!" Said Alex while extending one hand towards her

"Sally, calm down!" Added the blue flower while taking a step forward and looking at her with concern "I need you to take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong!"

Following her leader's orders, the girl took a few more breaths before they finally began to slow down. Once she finally regained her breath, Sally stood up straight and looked at both Angela and Alex with a panicked look.

"Angela! There's big trouble!"

"Why!? What happened!?"

Although agitated, Sally was able to tell them what was happening. She explained to them that, while she and a few others were collecting berries, a trio of students came by and began to cause trouble. Mostly it was simply taking berries from some bushes for themselves, but it quickly escalated into taking them from the bags of others and coercing them into giving them.

At first Angela wondered who would do something like that, but it didn't take long for her mind to realize there was one trio who would be more than capable of doing exactly what Sally just described.

Without wasting a second, the three of them ran all the way to the plains.

"(Those three!)" Thought the blue flower, the anger growing greater by the second "(They went too far this time!)"

The grasslands were wide, but it didn't take long to find the three troublemakers. They were close to a large rock formation, with the goatee student eating red berries from a bag he stole from one of the gatherers while the black-haired one looked around and the perm one was away from sight. Most likely behind the rock.

"(Wait...Isn't that...?)" Thought Alex, who felt like he recognized the specific rock formation

"Hey, dude" Said the goatee student, who was the first one to notice them coming, to the black-haired one "Look over there"

"Oh, fucking hell..." He replied after cliking his tongue "Bitch just doesn't know when to quit"

"You three!" She yelled at them while getting closer "What do you think you're doing now!?"

"What's it look like?" Asked back the goatee student "We're hungry, so we're eating"

"That's supposed to be rations for everyone! You can't just take them from others as you wish!"

"Like I'm saying, you gotta do your part too"

When hearing the third student's voice on the other side of the rock, Alex walked a few steps forward and saw him talking to someone. It was then that he noticed who it was.

"Max!?"

The blonde student was seemingly having a conversation with the young man. Or rather, he was talking to Max, and he was simply ignoring him, focusing instead on working with his pestle and mortar.

"Hey, the hell are you doing to him!?"

The sportsman tried to approach him, but his path was cut by the black-haired student.

"Get out of my way!"

"Chill out, will you? We're not doing anything mean to your boyfriend"

"That's right, that's right!" Added the blonde student while turning his head and looking at the sportsman and the blue flower with an arrogant grin "We're not gonna bully him. We just wanna know why he gets to sit on his ass all day while we have to work our asses off"

"You say that, but I haven't seen any of you lift a single finger since you joined us" Snarled Angela

The blonde student didn't reply to her retort. He simply ignored her and focused again on Max.

"So, how is it that you get the special treatment but we don't?" He said, still wearing a grin "You give queen bitch here a good night pounding or something?"

"Wh-What!?"

"That's it, ain't it?" He kept on, knowing it was an indirect insult to Angela and enjoying every bit of it "I bet you drag that slut out here every night and do her right behind this rock. You totally start rocking her world. You know what I mean?"

Angela didn't say a thing, but her blood was starting to boil. Not only were these three students hindering the whole group and doing absolutely nothing to help, but they were also stealing supplies from others and even insulting her chastity by insinuating she was just a slut.

Nonetheless, despite all of the blonde student's words, Max didn't react to anything he said. As a matter of fact, he didn't even seem to pay the slightest bit of attention to him. Obviously, this was starting to irritate him.

"Hey..." He said with an irritated tone before suddenly moving his foot forward, kicking the mortar and making the contents fly up into the air while yelling "Stop playing monk, you mute bastard!"

"Hey, knock it off already!"

Alex tried once again to walk towards him, but he black-haired student blocked his path again.

Although he could probably just make him get out of the way easily, the sportsman noticed he had always kept one hand inside his pocket. It was merely an assumption, but if the student had a pocket knife on him, someone could easily get hurt or killed. He was confident that he could protect himself from a knife, but he worried about Sally and Angela.

Meanwhile, the blonde student looked at Max, waiting for some sort of reaction. Despite his attempt to irritate him, Max simply took the mortar and placed it in it's earlier position before gathering the sparkpowder that spilled out. This only served to anger him even more, but also forced him to find a new angle to attack from. Eventually, he took notice of Wilson, who was sitting next to the young man.

"Hey, now that I think about it...What about that bird of yours?" He asked while pointing at the Dodo "You know, we've been working reaaaal hard, but we're always eating fish. I bet everyone would like some chicken for a change. So how about you give it to us?"

"Don't touch the bird..."

The blonde student extended his hand towards Wilson before suddenly hearing Max talk and stopping.

"What was that?"

"Don't touch the bird"

This time, the young man's voice was a lot more clear. Unfortunately, it showed the troublemaker just what exactly did he need to aim for.

"Come on, dude. You do nothing but pound that chick around here. You gotta help the group too" He said with a grin while reaching for the bird again "Besides, it's just a dumb bird"

"He-Hey! Wait, stop!"

Alex was starting to worry. He knew how the young man leashed out at people that got too close to Wilson, and with how carelessly the blonde student was trying to get a hold of the Dodo, things could only end badly.

"You three..." Said Angela with a low tone, her boiling blood finally exploding in an enraged Exclamation " **Knock it off already! !** "

At that moment, everyone except Max looked at her.

"A-Angela?" Asked Alex with a surprised expression

He did not expect the blue flower to explode like that. And Sally didn't seem to expect it either, judging by her scared expression.

"Ever since you arrived you've done nothing but laze around and cause trouble, and I'm sick and tired of it!" She snarled with a fierce rage "So you better stop this, go back to the base and do something useful for a change!"

"A-and what if we don't?" Asked the black-haired student, who was sounding a little less confident than last time

"Then don't even bother coming back..."

Both the goatee and black-haired student broke a cold sweat. Angela didn't only sound stern, she sounded dead serious. Truth to be told, even Alex and Sally broke a cold sweat at her glare.

A short moment of silence went by before finally one person broke the silence.

"Fine, whatever you say" Said the blonde student while shrugging with his eyes closed, taking a short pause before grinning again "But...We're taking this!"

In a quick motion, the troublemaker turned around and reached out for Wilson.

"No, stop! Don't-!"

The sportsman tried to stop him, but the blonde student stopped after a stabbing sound echoed in the air.

"Eh?"

Everyone looked at him, then at Max. Their expressions went quickly from confusion to horror as they saw the source of the sound.

In a quick response to the attempt to snatch Wilson, the young man grabbed a sharpened stone spearhead and used it to impale the blonde student's hand. The sharpened stone tip easily piercing through the flesh and making it to the other side.

It took a moment or two for the blonde student's brain to process what just happened before his face paled like that of a ghost. the feeling of the blood pouring out of his impaled hand making him shiver like a naked man in a winter storm.

"Ah-Ahhhhh...!"

But the young man didn't let it end there. Instead, he slammed the student's wrist down with a clenched fist while pulling the spearhad upwards with great strength, making the sharpened bone cut through the rest of the hand as if it were butter. Effectively almost cutting his hand completely in half.

"Arghhhhhhhhhhh! ! ! !"

The blonde student screamed in pain at the top of his lungs as the pain shock him like a thunder. He quickly pulled his mutilated hand away, the flying blood going in all direction and splattering against the rocsk, on the grass and some of it even on Max's face and clothes

"Aghhhhhhh! ! !" He yelled in pain while twisting on the floor, with his one good hand holding the other one tightly, attempting to close the injury, but to no avail "My haaaaand! ! ! My fucking haaaaaand! ! ! Oh goooood, it huuuuuuurts! ! !"

Everyone watched in horror at the scene taking place in front of them. Sally covering her mouth with both hands and growing almost blue while the goatee student tried to help his friend. And the black-haired student, who was just as petrified as anyone else at first, quickly reacted and pulled out a pocket knife from his pocket.

"Why, you sick son of a-!"

"I said..." Said the young man with a surprisingly calm tone before moving his head slightly to look at the trio " **Don't touch the bird!** "

The look in Max's eyes was unlike anything Alex had seen so far. He had already seen him making unusually sullen, dejected, loathsome and even vicious stares, but this was on a whole other level. One that made Angela's earlier glare pale in comparison. The killing intent in his eyes and his tone were not loud but still so intense that more than one's head, the trio feared he would rip their very souls out of their bodies. And even though it wasn't aimed at them, both Alex and Angela felt a chill running so strongly down their spines that for a momenth both of them feared they would explode out of their bodies. Sally wasn't even able to withstand the gory show from before and fainted, which was probably for the best. The fact Max's face was covered in blood and given an eerie shade by his head cloth only made this an even more chilling sight.

"U-Uwahhhhhhhh ! ! !"

The trio, terrified out of their wits and pale as ghosts, quickly ran in the opposite direction.

"He-Hey, you guys! Wait!" Called out Angela while reaching out to them

But it was no use. The three troublemakers kept running without even trying to hear a single word, getting out of the plateau and going into the woods for dear life.

With them out of the picture, both Angela and Alex looked again at Max, who simply turned his head to face down and forward. Not a single words or even movement coming out of him at all. Simply silence and stillness.

For the first time since they reunited, the sportsman truly realized just severe Max's condition truly was. And truly felt fear towards him as well.

*Scene*

The students went from one side to the other, working on the wall and on the huts just as they did everyday. But this time, the whole camp was far more quiet than usual.

Almost two days went by after the gruesome events that led to the three students suddenly leaving, and not a word was spoken about it by anyone. Mostly because most of it were rumors and loose information, but because no one wanted to think about the concern that this subject brought forth.

The man who just mutilated someone else's hand without even flinching was right outside their base, behind a rock. And just as he did that to the blonde student, he could do that to anyone else. Of course, the habit those students had of constantly causing trouble and not knowing when to stop made it easy for everyone to believe they were the ones to provoke him in the first place. Even so, this didn't erase the worries lingering within everyone's mind.

Even Alex and his group being in the base made everyone a bit jumpy at first, but they quickly dispersed those thoughts away. The group had helped out with the building and gathering everyday while interacting with everyone in a friendly manner, so many of the blue students knew for sure they weren't dangerous people. Max, on the other hand, didn't interact with anyone at all, making many doubts linger within the minds of those living in Weathertop. Unfortunately, those doubts were now answered in the worst way possible.

As for the sportsman's group themselves, everyone had varied oppinions. Lily and Alice were shocked by what happened, but Rick didn't seem all that surprised. He already marked Max as someone who would do such a thing. The real worry within his mind was what the blue students would do now. It wouldn't be surprising if they forced them to walk out the main entrance and never come back.

Meanwhile, Alex tried to go around the base and see what he could hear from those who gossiped about it. It seemed as though people didn't know all too well what happened, but the blonde student's scream made everyone gather at the entrance just in time to see him running away in terror, covered in his own blood and with a mangled hand torn almost in half. Although not the whole story, that was more than enough to give people a reason to get anxious.

"Hey, is this isn't funny" Said one student who was working on the fibers holding the wall together "First we get attacked by monsters, now we have a maniac right outside our base?"

"And you think I like it?"

"Why isn't anyone doing anything about it?"

"Do you think anyone wants to get close to him after what they saw the other day?"

"Still, we have to do something...How the hell are we supposed to sleep knowing there's a guy like that right outside our base?"

As he heard the people around him gossiping, the sportsman headed to the girl's hut, where he heard Angela was right now to check on Sally.

"Why aren't you making him leave!?" Snarled a female voice

Alex was about to check if it was okay to go in, but stopped after hearing a heated argument taking place inside. He took a peek inside and saw Milly, Sally's friend, arguing with Angela, who was kneeled next to a sleeping Sally.

"He's not inside the base, Milly" Replied the blue flower with a calm tone "I can't force him to leave if he's not in our territory"

"Then what are we supposed to do!?" Snarled the female studetn, sounding even more irritated than before "Are you telling us to just leave him be and pretend nothing happened!?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have many choices right now..."

"Are you kidding me!?" She snarled again "What if that bastard does that to one of us next!? What if he does it to Sally!?"

Angela didn't reply this time. She was unsure what to say without her words being bent or taken out of context by Milly's anger. Unfortunately, silence didn't help either.

"Fine! Do whatever you want!" Said Milly with an enraged expression "If you're not going to do something, I will!"

And with just as much anger as she argued with, the female student stormed out of the hut like a hurricane. Once outside, she turned her head and noticed Alex's prescence. The sportsman himself wasn't all too sure whetever he should say hi or back off. Fortunately for him, Milly simply gave him an angry stare before clicking her tongue and walking away.

Shortly after, Angela walked out of the hut and noticed him as well.

"Oh, Alex..." She said, a slight exhaustion notable in her tone "Did you hear us?"

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you"

"It's okay" Replied the blue flower with a weak smile "Thatch walls aren't very soundproof anyway"

Both of them looked at each other before looking at Milly on the distance.

"I'm sorry about her" She said with her eyes still focused on her

"Don't worry about it...I can't really blame her for being on edge like that..."

Alex didn't like the way people were wanting Max to leave and saw him as a psycho, but he couldn't blame any of them for doing so. Especially after what he did.

"She lost almost all of her close friends on this island. Sally is probably the only one she has left" Explained Angela while looking at him

"I see..." Replied Alex with a pensive expression

As one of her last remaining friends, Milly naturally became overprotective of Sally. And after seeing Alex carrying her unconscious into the base caused that desire to protect her into a strong agression. But as aggresive as it might be, all she wanted was to protect her friend.

In a way, the two of them were very similar to him and Max.

"By the way, how is Sally doing?"

"She's still a bit shaken up, but at least she seems to have mostly recovered from it"

"That's good to know"

"Still, I'm worried about Milly" Said the flower with a concerned expression "I'm sure people will keep their distance from him, but she may try to do something drastic in her current state"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to keep an eye on Max from now on" He replied to her, attempting to ease her worries "if anyone tries something, I'll do what I can to stop them"

"I'm counting on you for that" She replied while looking at him "If possible, I'd like to avoid further conflict"

Although not a perfect plan, both Alex and Angela agreed on how to proceed with the current problem.

Meanwhile, just outside the plateau, the three students who had abandoned the Weathertop hid away in the forest.

"Argh...Fucking hell!" Complained the blonde student, who was holding tightly to his hand, which was covered in bloodstained pieces of cloth that served as a makeshift bandage, while the other two "It hurts! It hurts so friggin much!"

"Stop whining already, will ya?" Said the black-haired student, who was sitting down on the grass, while looking at him

"You try getting your hand friggin chopped in half and tell me if it hurts!"

Miraculously, he managed to avoid dying from blood loss, but the injury he received was inmensely painful.

"Damn it! I'll kill him!" He said while turning around and looking at the plateau with an expression of pure rage "I'm gonna kill that bastard! I'm gonna chop both his hands off!"

"You want to go back there? After seeing that?"

While the blonde student was hellbent on getting his payback, the other two didn't want to get close to that place again. Or rather, they didn't want to get close to Max again.

"I'll chop that bastard's hands off and rip his guts out! And that bitch too! I'll slit her throat open and impale her against those damn walls of her's!"

While the blonde student monologued about the things he would do to Max and Angela as revenge, he suddenly felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. Most likely, the black-haired student's.

"Hey, get off of me..."

He tried nudging his shoulder to make him move his hand away, but there wasn't even the slightest budge. The fingers were tightly clenched against his shoulder and refused to let go

"Hey, I said get yout hand off!" Said the blonde while nudging his shoulder harder before finally loosing his cool and turning around to lash out at him "God damn it! I told you to knock it the fuck off alrea-! !"

When turning around, however, he saw something completely different to what he expected.

The hand holding onto his shoulder finally let go and flopped down to the ground like a ragdoll. Blood poured out from the severed forearm and stained the grass red, the lifeless hand twitching a few times.

The blond student's eyes, however, were focused on the three raptors devouring the bloodied bodies of his friends. Two of them using their jaws to dig into their stomachs and eating the innards or ripping out chunks of flesh from them as blood spilled everywhere. Meanwhile, the third one stared at him, closely inspecting his meal as his face went as pale as a ghost.

"...dy?"

He didn't react, or even tried to run away. The troublemaker only looked in horror as the lizard's jaws opened widly before it lounged at him, hardly allowing him a last scream before ripping him appart and devouring him.

As the three raptors devoured their prey, a fourth and fifth one looked at it before setting off in search of a prey of their own. It began by going up towards the plateau and seeing a group of people scatered around while picking up berries, but they chose to ignore them. They were too close to the base, too close to their pack. It wasn't worth the risk.

Instead, the two kept searching for a new prey. One that would be far from the pack and isolated. And the search was fruitful, as they spotted a lone male standing against a rock. One hand pressed against it and his head lowered. A perfect target for a hunt.

Max, who had yet to notice he was being hunted, simply looked down at his hand. The hand he used to mutilate another person's hand, shivering as his mind recalled his own actions.

"(Again...)" He thought as his stare was focused solely on his hand "(I did it again...)"

He may have done it without flinching, but it didn't stop him from feeling just the same way he felt the night after he killed another human being for the first time. It was an overwhelming feelng that he couldn't describe, but he could tell it was a very unpleasant one.

And the worst part of it all was that he did it right in front of Alex. The horror in his eyes was burned into his mind now, and it wouldn't stop flashing back within him.

Wilson, who looked at the young man in silence, tried to understand what was bothering him so much before turning it's head and spotting the two raptors coming towards them. Almost inmediately, the Dodo began to shriek in a panicked way. So much that Max noticed it almost instantly.

"Wilson? What's wrong?"

The young man looked at the bird and heard it shriek a few times before his eyes widened and he quickly looked over his shoulder, only to see the raptor lounging at him.

"(Shit)"

Fortunately, Max was quick enough to move sideways using the hand that was placed on the rock as propulsion and avoided the raptor, causing it to smack itself against the rock and fall to the ground. The lizard rolled on the grass for a moment or two before getting up as the second one quickly moved in. Both of them now facing the young man, who took a hold of the spear on his back and got ready to fight.

Wilson, who was being ignored due to not being considered a very worthwhile snack by the raptors, looked at the current situation and knew Max was at a disadvantage. He needed help, but the Dodo was not an apt fighter. Instead, Wilson quickly turned around and ran at full speed towards the Weathertop base, hoping to find someone that could help.

The bird ran as fast as it could with it's little feet, rushing through the grasslands and past many large herbivores before running into a few students who were gathering berries. Wilson looked at this group and noticed Lily and Alice among this group before running towards both of them while shrieking to get their attention.

"Huh?" Said Alice, who was the first one to notice the Dodo "Hey, Lily. Isn't that Mr Wilson?"

"Mr Wilson?" Asked back the young woman, who turned her head away from the berries in the bush and looked at the same direction as the little girl "Ah! It's Mister Fluffy bird!"

Lily was initially happy to see him, but the other students around them quickly panicked, as they imagined Max would probably appear at any time soon. Alice, on the other hand, was confused by the fact Wilson was alone.

"Where is big brother?" She asked while looking at the Dodo

"Huh? That's weird..." Said Lily while looking around "I don't see him anywhere"

If there was one thing the young woman was sure of, it was that Max never, ever left Wilson wander off by himself. At least not too far.

Both women were confused, but Alice noticed there was something wrong with Wilson. The bird was constantly shrieking as it ran in circles around them before stopping in front of them and jumping multitple times while flapping his wings.

"He seems agitated" Pointed out the little girl, who noticed the bird's alarmed state, before looking at Lily with a concerned expression "Maybe something happened to big brother?"

She didn't consider the idea at first, but it would make perfect sense for Wilson to seek out others in such an alarmed state if something happened to Max.

"No way..."

"Hey, Lily! What do we do now!?" Asked Alice while looking at her with worry

The young woman looked at Alice, then at Wilson again before looking at her with a comforting smile.

"Alice, go find find find Alex and Rick and tell them what happened"

"But what about big brother?"

"It's okay. I'll do my best to help him"

Alice was unsure about this plan, but agreed nonetheless and ran back to the Weathertop base as fast as she could while Lily followed Wilson.

The young woman tried to sound comforting to ease the little girl's worries, but she had yet to figure out how to actually help. If it was a fight, then she was probably the worst option to serve as backup. But even so, she already said Alice she'd help Max, and she wouldn't lie to her.

It took a few minutes, but she finally found the young man. Although the scene wasn't exactly the one she expected.

"Eh?"

The two raptors that attacked Max were now laying on the ground, bloodied and full of stab and slashing wounds all over their bodies. The young man, who stood over their bodies with his spear still stuck into one of them, had a few cuts and a minor bleeding here and there, but overall seemed to be okay. His clothes were stained in blood, but most of it seemed to be from his pre-historic assailants.

After a few deep breaths and a short moment of looking at his defeated enemies, Max pulled out the spear from the raptor's body using his foot to keep it still, then turned his head and saw Wilson.

"Where the hell did you run off to?"

The Dodo chirped in response, making the young man raise an eyebrow before raising his gaze to look at Lily. Almost instantly, his expression turned into a rather sour one.

"I don't need help, especially if it's her's" He retorted while moving his foot away from the raptor's body

"Erm..."

Lily was honestly not sure what to say right now. She arrived there to help, but seemingly there was no need for help.

Unfortunately, this quickly changed as one of the raptors suddenly sprouted back to life and took a hold of Max's foreleg with his jaws.

"Argh!"

"U-Uwahhh!?"

Either of them hardly had time to react as the lizard quickly pulled on his leg, causing the young man to fall to the ground as the raptor got up and on top of him, trying to bite him in the neck.

In a quick defensive reflex, Max used his forearm to protect himself, causing it to get bitten instead. The raptor's jaws were painful, but he was able to hold the beast at bay with this tactic. Unfortunately, falling caused him to lose grip of his spear and made it fall away from him.

"Max!"

Lily knew she had to help him, but couldn't just approach them carelessly. Looking around her, she saw small stones scattered all over the floor and had an idea.

One by one, she picked every stone and peeble she could find and began tossing them at the raptor, hoping that it would drive it back or at the very least distract it enough for Max to retrieve his weapon.

"Get off of him! Get off!" She yelled while tossing her improvised weapons "Shoo! shoo!"

Although they didn't damage it, the constant stones smacking it in the head annoyed the lizard more than enough for him to let go of Max's forearm and groan at Lily.

The young man didn't waste this opportunity and quickly took a hold of his spear before using it to stab the raptor right in the temple, piercing through it's brain and killing it instantly.

A short silence took over as Max pulled his spear out of the carnivore's head and pulled it's corpse off of him, then slowly got up. The throbbing pain coming from his injured forearm matched only by the blood flowing out of the bitemarks.

"Max! Are you okay!?"

"Get away...!"

"Eh?"

"I don't need your help!"

"Bu-But-!"

"I said I don't need your help!"

Lily approached the young man to help him after seeing the bleeding, but he didn't let her get close. Instead, he began to walk away and tried heading towards the river to clean his wounds and wash the blood. But the bite he received in his leg began to throb after the fist step, causing him to stumble.

"Urgh!"

"Max! Please wait!" Said the young woman while quickly approaching him and placing one hand on his shoulder "You're bleeding too much! You need help!"

The moment he felt her hand on his shoulder, Max turned his head to look at her. But what he saw wasn't Lily. Instead, he saw the same twisted, fiendish face that Amelia had on that fateful day he almost lost his life. That maddened, distorted face that only a monster taken straight out of a nightmare could have. It's pitch black claws tightly clenched to his shoulder, digging deep into his flesh and burning it like a rod of red hot metal.

"Get away from me! ! !" He yelled at the top of his lungs while quickly turning around and pushing her hand away, as well as smacking her in the left cheek with the back of his fist.

The punch was so powerful it sent her falling back to the floor and nearly knocked her out. A large bruise was left on her cheek and a small stream of blood began to pour out of her nose as a result of this.

"Uhhh...ugghh!" She whimpered with teary eyes while whincing, her words difficult to undestand due to her hand being placed over her mouth "That really hurt, Max...Why-?"

As she opened her eyes and looked at the young man, his expression baffled her, but not out of fear this time.

The knot holding the piece of cloth that covered Max's head came loose during the fight and fell off into the ground, allowing her to see his face quite clearly.

The expression in his face wasn't one of hatred, loathing or spite, but one of pure terror. The fear in his eyes was so overwhelming that no one would believe he was the same man from just five minutes ago.

"Do-Don't t-touch me..." He said with a tone that sounded just as terrified as the look in his eyes, the constant stuttering and the way he shivered like a naked man in the north pole making his words difficult to understand "Do-Don't you ever...Touch m-me...! Nev-Never...Touch me!"

Lily was speechless. She never imagined she'd see him in such a phobic state, especially not from such a simple thing as a touch from her.

"Ma-Max? What's wro-?"

The young woman kneeled up and looked at him, but Max insantly stepped back with such a speedy reaction that you could think he literally jumped back rather than walking.

"Heeeeey! Lily, Max!" Yelled a voice in the distance "Are you okay!?"

Lily turned her head and saw Alex and Rick approaching, then turned it again to look at Max.

When he saw both of them as well, the young man seemed to have snapped out of his shock and quickly limped away at full speed with Wilson following behind.

"Max! Wait!"

The young woman got up and tried reaching out to him, but it was to no avail. Max escaped so fast it would be impossible for her to chase him down.

"Max..." She muttered to herself with a concerned expression

While she kept looking at him, the sportsman and the sailor reached her and stood behind her.

"Hey, Lily! Are you okay!?" Asked Alex, who looked at the scene around him and saw the two dead raptors "Wha-What happened here?"

"I...erm..."

Lily was still slightly shaken up from what she saw and was having a difficult time responding to that question at first, which made both men worry she may have suffered some sort of injury.

"Hey, Lily. Where did Max go?"

The young woman tought about it for a moment before recalling the bleeding bite marks on Max's arm and leg.

"Ah, that's right!" She said after suddenly snapping out of her shock "Alex! We need to find Max!"

"Why!? What happened!?"

"He got attacked and is wounded really badly!" She explained to the sporstman "He was bleeding a lot!"

"Where did he go!?"

"Over there!"

"Okay" He replied while nodding before looking at Rick "Hey, Rick. Take Lily back to the base...I'll go look for Max"

"Leave it to me"

"Alright. See you later!"

And without further words, Alex quickly headed towards the direction Lily pointed out in search of the young man. Meanwhile, the young woman looked at him before feeling she had stepped on something.

She lowered her head and saw the cloth Max wore on his head laying on the ground like a rag, a few stains of blood still covering it. She crouched and picked it up before looking at it in silence, then at the direction the young man ran away.

"Hey, Lily. Let's get back to the base" Said Rick while walking closer to her, then noticing the bruise on her face "What happened to your face?"

"Eh?" Replied the young woman before recalling he bruised cheek and bleeding nose, then making a weak smile "I...erm...I fell of and hit my face!"

"O...Okay..."

Rick had the feeling she wasn't being honest, but he decided to brush it aside and focus on getting her back to a safe place for now.

As the two of them went back to the Weathertop, Lily's mind constanly pondered about what she just saw.


	6. A leader's determination

"Owie!"

"Please, stay put" Said Angela, who was holding a piece of cotton covered in medicinal alcohol "I can't do this if you move too much"

"Bu-But it stings!"

"I know it does, but this is to avoid an infenction"

"But it stings!" Whined Lily one more time with teary eyes.

"What do you preffer, then? A short stinging feeling that fades away almost instantly? Or a long-lasting infection that will slowly and painfully kill you?" Asked Rick, who was watching from a distance while leaning against a wall

The young woman hesitated for a moment or two before finally responding.

"Auuuuu!" She said with her eyes still teary "I-I get it...I'll stay put..."

"Good girl" Replied Angela while returning to her work

After Max ran away and Alex went to search for him, Rick brought Lily back to the base. Once there, they were received by blue flower who, after noticing the bruise on Lily's face, offered to tend to it.

She wasn't an expert on medical treatments or had the level of knowledge that many of the green students seeking the medicine career could easily boast about, but she attended a few extracurricular classes about first aid in case of a sudden emergency and was confident in her skills. Well, or at least in her skills with mannequins, but that was better than nothing at the very least.

Fortunately, she managed to salvage some alcohol and plastic tweezers from first-aid kit and was able to improvise some replacements with things such as cotton swabs that a few girls kept for cleaning up make-up and a couple of band-aid packages kept by a few students. The rest, such as bandages or the sort were possible to obtain thanks to the implant's crafting system.

Angela kept softly pressing the alcohol-soaked cotton on Lily's bruised cheek for a few more times as she twitched slightly and closed one of her eyes due to the stinging feeling, but mostly took it quietly, before finally finishing.

"There we go. We're done"

With the risk of infection taken care of, the blue flower handed a cold piece of cloth and placed it on her cheek.

"Uwah!? It's cold!"

"I know. It's to keep it from swelling" She replied calmly while taking Lily's hand and making her hold onto the cloth "Usually you're supposed to use ice, but this should do the trick. Make sure to hold on to it firmly, okay?"

"Okay..." Said the young woman while nodding in agreement "Thank you"

"No problem"

"Hey, Angela?"

"Yes?"

"Can I have a lolipop?"

"I...I don't think we have any here" Replied the blue flower while sweat dropping

Out of the many things she imagined she might hear today, that was certainly not one of them.

"Auuuu!"

"(What are you, a dog?)" Wondered the sailor while looking at her and sweat dropping, honestly feeling confused as to whetever Lily's whining noise was something either a child or a dog would make.

"We-Well...I guess I can give you some extra tintoberries during tonight's dinner if you want" Offered Angela to the saddened young woman "They're not lolipops, but they taste really sweet"

"Okay..."

Although that request wasn't one she expected to hear, the blue flower managed to handle it somehow. But with that said, there were other things running through her mind right now. Most importantly, the reason as to why Lily had a bruise on her cheek in the first place.

"By the way, what happened out there?" She asked to Lily while putting down the cotton "I heard you suddenly ran away from the gathering group without saying a word"

"That's..."

When hearing Angela's question, the young woman's face changed from a silly dejection to a more serious concern. She knew they would ask her sooner or later, but she was unsure of how to answer. The fact she herself wasn't fully sure what happened didn't help either.

"According to Alice, Max's bird came to them for help and Lily followed it while she came back to the base for us" Explanied the sailor, answering in Lily's stead "By the time we made it there, though, the only thing we found was her and two dead raptors, but Max was nowhere to be seen"

"So both of you killed two raptors?" Asked Angela with a surprised expression

"No...Max did it alone..." Replied Lily while looking at her "They were already dead when I found him"

This answer surprised the blue flower. She already knew from Rick and Alex's stories that they had some experience in fending off dinosaurs, but Raptors were fearsome carnivores to say the least. Not only surviving in a battle against them but also killing two of them was a notable feat in itself.

"And what happened after that? Where did Max go to?"

"I...I..."

Angela looked at Lily struggling to answer for a moment or two. She could tell by her expression that the young woman's problem wasn't that she didn't know what happened. Rather, it was that she probably didn't know how to explain it, or that she just felt worried about sharing it.

"Okay, nevermind. I'll just ask Alex when he comes back" She said with her eyes closed, interrupting Lily's attempt to find an answer "For now, I'd like to make a full-body check to make sure you don't have any other injuries to worry about"

"Eh? But I'm-"

"Don't worry, I promise it'll take just amoment"

"O-Okay..."

After saying that, both women turned their heads to look at Rick for a moment in silence.

"I said, a full-body checkup" Repeated Angela after coughing to catch his attention, making sure to put an emphasis on the words "full body".

"Hm?"

The sailor looked at both of them for a moment, confused as to why he was the center of all stares now, before putting some thought into it and finally realizing what the blue flower meant.

If she was planning to do a full-body checkup, then Lily would most likely need to remove more than just her shirt or shoes.

Definitely a sight to behold, but one that would most likely cost him a harsh beating, along with a few teeth.

"Oh! Erm..." He said, suddenly hit by the awkward atmosphere of the situation, while pointing to the exit with a bit of a blush "I...I should probably go outside for now"

"Yes, that would be appreciated" Replied Angela while looking at him with a calm expression "Even better yet. How about going to the entrance and keeping an eye to see when Alex returns"

The second request hit the sailor with confusion once again. He was aware that he needed to leave, but there was no need to get that far away from the hut, was there?

"Why? I bet he'll rush over here by himself the moment he-"

"Rick..." Said the blue flower, this time with a much more stern and somewhat irritated tone "Would you _kindly_ do as I ask?"

Judging by the tone of her voice and by the stare she was tossing out at him, the sailor figured out almost inmediately that she didn't only want him to keep guard in case she might need to prepare to receive another patient who will probably be severely wounded, but that she also wanted her and Lily to have some privacy, and that she wanted it right now.

"Ye-Yes...Right away..." He said in a quiet tone and with a cold sweat before turning around and leaving

Without any further need for talk, Rick walked out of the hut and left the two girls by themselves. Angela decided to be careful and waited a few extra moment, still looking at the entrance, to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted before turning her head to look at the young woman again.

"Now that we finally have some proper privacy, I think this should be a lot easier" She said with a smile "You may want to keep it quiet, though. Thatch is not very soundproof"

"Yes..." She said before beginning to unbutton her shirt and revealing her cleavage and the white bra with flower lace patterns holding it together

The sight surprised Angela. Despite her somewhat clumsy nature, the young woman had a surprisingly cute taste for underwear, which also helped emphasized a feeling of sexyness due to the patterns engraved on it. Underwear design aside, what she really didn't expect was for her to suddenly start unbuttoning her shirt.

"Wait, wait! You didn't read the mood!?"

"Eh?"

Seeing Lily's confused expression, Angela had the feeling she didn't understand the real reason behind kicking Rick out. Fortunately for her, the young woman seemed to understand it after a little bit of thought.

"Oh..."

"(Not a very sharp girl, is she?)" Wondered the flower while looking at her and sweat dropping

"I'm sorry"

"No, don't worry about it"

A short, awkward silence fell between the two of them before the blue flower looked once again at the young woman. Her expression was a mixture of worry and confusion, almost as if she was trying to figure out something within her mind. And if it could make the usually cheerful Lily get into such a low mood, then it had to be something serious.

"Hey, Lily" She said to her, trying to sound more comforting "I'm not going to force you to tell me what happened, but don't forget that I'm always willing to listen if you need someone to talk to"

The young woman remained silent for a moment longer, her hand clenching slightly tighter on the head cloth that she had on the other hand. She had been holding onto it ever since she came back and wouldn't let go of it. At first this worried Angela, but she was more concerned about tending to the bruise on her cheek first.

The blue flower, feeling the conversation may not progress, decided to stand up and head towards the door before stopping after hearing the young woman call out to her.

"Erm...Angela!" She called out, making Angela turn her head to loko at Lily

"Yes?"

"Can a touch be scary?"

"...Excuse me?" She asked back, feeling confused by the sudden question

"Can people get scared if they're touched by someone else?"

Angela took a moment to think about the question itself before trying to answer.

"I guess it depends on the type of touch..." She replied, imagining Lily might be referring to the difference between a friendly touch and a sexually abusive touch "Why do you ask?"

"Do you promise to keep it a secret?"

"A secret?"

"You have to promise it..."

The blue flower didn't understand all too well why Lily wanted it to be a secret, but nonetheless she decided to agree. There was probably a good reason behind it.

"Okay. I promise to keep it a secret"

"Then..."

Lily was still unsure whetever talking about this was a good idea or not, as she worried how Max would react to it. He may lash out even more violently than usual, or simply run away and abandon the group, including Alice, and she didn't want that.

If she spoke about it with Alex or Rick, they would try talking it with him, and that would probably just make things worse. Angela, on the other hand, seemed honest about her promise to keep it a secret. Combined with the fact she was a smart person, the blue flower could probably help Lily with this problem better than anyone else right now.

Although with slight hesitation at first, the young woman told Angela everything about what happened. How Max was attacked by the raptor, by how he refused her help despite his terrible injuries and how he suddenly entered into an extremely terrified state just from her merely touching him in the shoulder.

"So that's what happened..." Said the blue flower, her thumb and index finger placed under her lower lip, while making a pensive expression "It's no wonder you wanted to keep it a secret..."

"But why did he get so scared?" Asked Lily, who was still confused as to what she did to cause such a thing to happen "Did I do something bad to him?"

"Are you sure all you did was touch him?" Asked back Angela, who wanted to make sure she got everything right "Just a simple touch in the shoulder?"

"Yes"

"I see..."

Angela tought for a moment about the information she just received.

Fear was a reflection of how the brain perceives and responds to danger, and therefore almost all fears have to be born from some sort of event or trauma first, even the most irrational and extreme ones.

Suddenly lashing out and becoming utterly terrified in such an extreme way was an odd mixture, but there was one thing that could explain such a behavior. A phobia.

"Hey, Lily. Have you ever heard about haphephobia?"

"Ha-Haphepha...Haphephe...Ha..." Said Lily, strugling to say the complex word that felt like a tongue twister to her

"Is it really tat hard to say?" Asked Angela while looking at her and sweat dropping

"I'm not good with complicated words..." Replied the young woman with a slight dejection

"Well. To put it in simple terms, Haphephobia is the extreme fear of being touched"

"Fear of being touched?"

"Yes...It's a rare type of phobia, but it can happen more often than one may think, especially in situations such as these" Replied Angela while nodding "There's not much I can tell you, but what I do know is that those who suffer from this type of phobia are usually victims of some sort of assault or agression"

Lily's eyes widened in surprise. In the end, it seemed as though Alex's fears were true. Max was attacked by something other than the animals living in the island. But the question was, who would attack him in the first place and why? And just what did they do to make him end up like that?

"So Max has that?"

"I can't say for sure. All I can do is guesswork right now" Explained the blue flower "But judging by how you described it, that's the first thing that comes to mind"

"How do we help him?" Asked the young woman, hoping that there would be some sort of way to help cure Max's mental damage.

"I'm afraid I don't know. Psychology isn't my strong suit, and mental disorders are a complex thing to figure out, let alone treat" Replied Angela, her expression showing slight dissapointment towards her inability to bring a clear solution "If only Dahlia was here, then maybe we could do something..."

"Dahlia?"

"The white flower of knowledge, Dahlia Uchenyy" Explained the blue flower while looking at Lily again "I didn't speak with her more than once or twice, but I heard from some professors and students from the white school that she's a polymath who can be considered an expert on multiple subjects ranging from humanities and filosophy to even psychology"

Among the white school, which was known for creating many prominent scholars, philosophers and psychologists alike, Dahlia was at the very top. The fabled stories of her wide amount of knowledge and photographic memory baffled even the most dilligent teachers, making some even question why didn't she just skip through highschool and enter collegue yet.

"Woahhhh...She sounds like a really smart person" Said Lily, who was already imagining what Dahlia would look like, though the image inside her mind was mostly just a person with a large, thick pair of glasses and an even larger head.

"If anyone knows how to treat a mental disorder, it would most likely be her" She said before her expression changed into one of worry "The problem is finding her"

While the idea of Dhalia being able to help with Max's problem sounded like a perfect solution, there was still the issue of finding her. Or rather, if she was even alive. The latter wasn't a thought either of them wished to think about, but it was a harsh reality that couldn't be ignored.

A short moment of silence lasted before Lily finally asked what was in both of their minds.

"Then, what do we do?"

Angela didn't reply right away. She wasn't sure what to answer. Going out on a wild goose chase would only get Alex and his group killed, but this issue couldn't be ignored either.

"For the time being, we'll have to keep an eye on him" She replied, finally deciding what would be best to do "If we're lucky, maybe we'll be able to find someone that can help him"

"Okay"

Lily didn't like the idea very much. She wanted to help Max somehow, but she didn't know how. All she could do was avoid making things worse.

Little did she know, there were others who had different objectives in mind.

At the same time as both women discussed about the issue at hand, the very person at the center of their conversation wandered through the forest and reached the lake close to the plateau.

Bandages covered the bites on his arm and leg, stopping the bleeding that he cleaned up using water. They still hurt a bit and fighting would be more difficult, but at the very least they would recover. With that said, though. His mind was more concerned with other matters.

As he kneeled down in the edge of the lake, Max kept taking handfuls of water and pouring them over his shoulder to try and erase the searing feeling on it. The spot where Lily's hand touched him still throbbing, burning intensely. More intensely than even the raptor bites on his limbs, and all of it as his mind kept recalling the monstrous creature she turned into.

"(It's okay...It's okay...!)" He thought to himself, his breathing fast and deep "(I can do it, I can do it! It can't take me down...It won't take me down!)"

Wilson remained at the young man's side, watching him with concern as he tried to recover himself before taking a few steps closer to try and get his attention. Max didn't seem to notice this, though. His mind was too busy making the same image flash back in front of his eyes, his breathing becoming deeper and faster with every time it replayed over and over again. His heartbeat speeding up as he felt himself hyperventilating more and more with each second.

A loud, flatlined beeping sound began to shut out the noises of the water, the chanting of the birds and the wind before being suddenly cut off.

"You okay there?"

The young man's mind suddenly snapped out of this loop after hearing a voice he didn't recognize.

Out of reflex, he quickly grabbed his spear and turned around in an instant, ready to fight whoever was behind him. The first thing he saw was a skinny man dressed up in garbs made out of cloth and a masked hood to cover his identity, his forelegs wrapped up in cloth to keep the end of his trousers from getting too loose, along with a few patches and green grass scattered around his outfit, most likely a makeshift attempt to create a camouflage that would make him go unnoticed.

"whoa! Easy there, buddy!" Said the mysterious individual while raising his hands up to face level "I'm not here to pick a fight"

Despite his seemingly calm and somewhat carefree remark, the young man didn't put down his spear. His eyes remained focused on him while shortly inspecting the surroundings as well, just in case he might not be alone.

The individual could tell there wasn't even the slightest shred of trust in Max's eyes and sighed.

"Oh, for Pete's sake. Why is it always the nasty glare?" He asked, seemingly exhausted for some reason "I guessed you'd be a bit hard to approach after seeing what you did to that guy, but I thought I wouldn't get a glare like that right off the bat"

Judging by his words, the young man wasn't the first person he met. But what truly caught his attention was his mention of what happened to the blonde student.

"(That guy...)" Thought Max, wondering if he was referring to the events of a few days earlier "(He was watching me back then?)"

"Well, whatever. Just lend me the ear for a moment, will ya?"

The young man didn't reply to the question, but the hooded individual took the fact he didn't toss his spear at him as a sign he was listening.

"Doing things that could make other people faint without even flinching, no matter how nasty or gruesome it is. Be it man or dino, you do what you need to do and keep moving as if nothing happened." He said, referring to Max's violent acts which he did without hesitation "What you did the other day, that shows you're that type of guy, and the big man likes people that are like you"

"The big man?"

"Ah! I made you talk!" Said the hooded individual, sounding proud of himself "I should get a medal for that"

Despite his attempt to sound funny, Max didn't seem all too amused by it. He was too focused on figuring out who this individual was and for how long has he been watching him and probably Alex's group as well.

"Anyway, since we're talking about medals..." He said while opening a small bag on his belt and taking out a small coin-shapped object, then tossing it towards him with his thumb "Here. A little gift"

The small coin flew towards Max before landing close to his feet. The young man took a small glace at it, then at the individual again before slowly crouching down, his gaze alternating between the coin and him for a moment or two before quickly snatching it and taking a look at it. He slowly moved it around while holding it with his index, middle finger and thumb in an attempt to analyze the object.

The coin was made of copper and was about 1 oz or 32 mm in size. In one side, there was the carving of a winged dinosaur, most likely a Pterodactyl, and the words "Victoria Per Disciplinam" etched around the edge of the coin. And on the other, there was the profile of a man's face carved in it. He seemed to be about middle-age and had a roman emperor's crown on him. The words "Nerva Novo Legione Scriptor" were etched around him. In all and all, it was a very well-made coin, meaning that whoever crafted it was either extremely skilled or had access to some very advanced tools, along with a clear understanding of Latin.

"(A roman coin?)"

Out of the many teachers Max had back at the blue school, more than just a few were odd in some way. History class in particular had a professor that was absolutely obsessed with the roman empire and would never shut up about it. It was a really annoying thing back in the day, but having to constantly study about Rome so much helped him keep a few things inside his mind for a long time. One of them being Roman symbolism, which helped him notice this coin was clearly meant to be a roman creation, or at least something heavily inspired by their culture.

One thing that striked him as odd was the uncanny similarity between the roman eagle symbol and the one on the coin, with the main difference being the eagle replaced by a Pterodactyl. Unfortunately, Latin wasn't something he could read or even understand.

"Keep it. I'm sure you'll find a good use for it down the line" He said before turning around and walking away while waving with one hand in a lax way "Well, guess I'll take my leave. Don't want to stick around when those raptors swarm the place"

Max's attention was quickly diverted from the coin and focused once again on the hooded individual. His words being the thing that concerned him the most. But before he could even ask, the unkown person went into the forest and quickly left, dissapearing just as suddenly as he arrived, not giving his name or who telling who the "big man" he referred to was and leaving nothing but more questions, along with an odd coin.

With the inmediate threat gone and now left alone with Wilson, the young man looked once more at the coin for a moment or two in silence. His mind dwelling in it

"Max!" Yelled a voice in the distance "Max, where are you!?"

Max raised his head and looked at the forest once again while hiding the coin within his clenched fist. It took him no effort to recognize that as Alex's voice. And truly enough, the sportsman walked out of the forest after a short moment. Sweat covering his face due to the exhaustioin of running all over the place.

"There you are!" He said with a surprised tone after spotting him and quickly approaching "Where the hell did you go, man!?"

"I...just wanted some water"

The young man wasn't too sure what to say, so he instead went and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Stop screwing around!" Snarled Alex while looking at his limbs, noticing the new set of bandages "You're wounded, aren't you!? Let me see!"

The sportsman reached out his arm to get a hold of of Max's forearm, but the young man quickly took a step back. This sudden response surprised Alex, who looked at him with confusion.

"Max?"

He couldn't understand why, but it didn't take long for the sportsman to notice something. It merely lasted for a few seconds, but that was more than enough for him to notice it.

"(Just now...Did he shiver?)"

The young man's forearm, leg and shoulder, despite the last not having any notable injuries, were drenched in water. Therefore, he probably shivered due to being cold, but the way he backed off right before doing it was what caught Alex's attention.

"I'm okay...I just wanted a drink of water" Replied Max, sounding more calm than before, with his eyes closed. The short moment of silence broken by him.

"I-I see..." He replied back, his mind still distracted for a moment or two before finally focusing again "Anyway. Let's go back to the base. I still want you to get that checked out"

The sporstman turned around and walked back towards the Plateau with Wilson and the young man, who had now hidden away the coin in his pocket, following behind.

The identity of this new possible threat and the words of raptor swarms gave Max's gut a very bad feeling, but he could try and make sense out of it later. Right now, all he wanted was to go back to his campfire, light up a flame and warm himself up.

*Scene*

Rick spun his stone hatchet around once while looking at the large log, then carefully took aim before holding onto the wooden handle and using it to chop on the log. The first time it got stuck, taking him a few attempts to pull it out, but the remaining chops didn't encounter such problem. Steadily and with precise strength, the sailor kept hacking at the log's tip, chopping off pieces of it until the once flat tip became a spiked end.

Holding the opposite end of the stone blade, Rick stood on top of the spike and began sharpening the tip for a few seconds before finally turning into something sharp enough to cause serious damage. Not a perfect job, perhaps, but certainly one that would do the trick for now.

"(There...Those should be enough)" He thought while putting down the hatchet and looking at his work of the last few hours

Gazing at the spikes, tidily piled up and ready for use, gave him a sense of accomplishment, but at the same time it made him wish he could have used his machete instead. Unfortunately, The machete was suited better for tasks such as cutting through vegetation and fighting off dinosaurs. Having it's edge turn dull and less effective just for the sake of chopping wood faster didn't seem like a very practical idea. Or at least it didn't seem like that to him.

With this part of the work done, Rick put down the hatchet and headed to gather a few more logs. On the way there, though, he happened to catch onto a peculiar sight.

A group of four or five students was gathered around in a secluded spot, most likely to avoid being seen, while listening to someone talk.

"(Hm?)"

Upon taking a closer look, the sailor noticed the one giving a speech to them was a female. A red haired student, who he had already seen on his first day when they arrived to the Weathertop.

"(Isn't that...Milly?)"

Out of simple curiosity, he got even closer in order to hear what they were saying.

"I'm telling you guys! This is the perfect time to do it!" She said while looking at the students gathered around her "I heard it from the girls gathering outside yesterday. He's totally banged up!"

"Bu-But..."

"Why are you all acting so scared!?" She snarled at the hesitant males, irritated by their lack of determination "He's just one person! And he's even injured to boot, so he won't even be able to put up much of a fight!"

"Even so, you heard what he did to those guys, diidn't you!?" Snarled back one of the male students, who finally gathered enough courage to share their own oppinion "Besides, even if it's that guy. Killing someone is..."

"(Killing!?)" Thought the sailor with widened eyes. This was certainly not something he expected to hear.

"We don't need to kill him! Just chasing him away is good enough!" Said Milly to them "Either way, we have to make him leave!"

The group of male students didn't reply. They had all gone silent, their minds considering the red-headed girl's suggestion. All of this while Rick listened in, hidden away behind the corner of one of the thatch structures.

It didn't take much thought for anyone to imagine the person Milly was referring about just now was Max, and to understand why she'd want to try and convince others to help her chase him away from the base. Even so, these were still concerning things to hear.

Just yesterday, Alex brought back the young man. He had quite a few cuts and scratches, along with a few bruises and two notable bite marks on his forearm and leg, making it surprising he could even walk as steadily as he did. But despite his injured state, Max refused fervently to be have his injuries treated by Angela. Oddly enough, the usually determined flower agreed to his refusal of help rather easily, making Alex be the one to help the young man get patched up instead.

In a way, it did make the sailor curious as to why she would accept to not help him so easily, but he then realized it may have something to do with whatever Lily said to her while they were alone.

With his current injuries, Max would most likely seem like a much easier target to the easily frightened students of the Weathertop. Fortunately for him, many still feared him too much to give in to Milly's persuation, but it didn't seem like she would give up so easily on this attempt to rile up people.

"(I'd better tell Alex about this when I see him)"

The sailor felt like he heard enough and decided to leave for the time being, walking around the base before reaching the entrance and seeing Alex speaking with Angela. Without hesitating, he walked towards them to inform them about what he heard earlier.

"Hey, you two"

"Ah. Rick" Said Alex with a tone that hinted he was glad to see him, while turning his head to look at him "I was just about to go look for you"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I was talking with Alex earlier about putting both of you on guard duty" Replied Angela while turning her head to look at him.

"Guard duty?"

"That's right" She replied while nodding "Those lizard from yesterday, this isn't the first time I've seen them"

The blue flower recalled the first few days after the shipwreck before resuming her explanation.

"We've got attacked by many different creatures before settling down here, but those were by far the most persistent ones" She explained while looking at him " They kept attacking us every night without fail, always killing no less than two of our own before we came along this place and decided to build a base. After that, they suddenly stopped attacking"

The memories of her fellow classmates being devoured in front of her eyes were still fresh in Angela's memories, and most likely in the memories of everyone else as well. With each night meaning the death of someone at the claws of the raptors, everyone was losing hope by the second.

Eventually, the group found the Weathertop, where they all agreed on the blue flower's idea of creating a base to keep themselves safe.

The raptors suddenly stopped attacking them at night. Probably because they had lost interest or because they just left, or at least that's what she had hoped for. Nonetheless, yesterday's incident made her realize they were everything but safe right now.

"I hoped we wouldn't have to worry about them again, but I guess that was just a pipe dream"

"So you want us to act as guards and deal with any that tries to attack the base?" Asked Rick to her, who had a pretty clear idea of the current situation

"I know I'm asking you for something dangerous, but you're the only ones I can ask this from" Replied Angela, a subtle guit in her expression "Everyone else here is just highschool students"

"Yeah, but so is Alex here and that guy out there" Replied the Sailor while pointing at the sportsman, then at the rocks outside where Max had his own small camp

The blue flower didn't reply this time, she merely lowered her eyes with a dejected expression.

"Hey, Rick..." Said Alex while turning his head to look at him "Come on, man"

Rick looked at Angela for a moment or two before breaking the silence.

"I'm not saying I won't do it. I'm just saying you can't use that as an excuse here" He said, causing the flower to raise her stare to look at him "Even if they're students, these people need to learn how to defend themselves. Otherwise, they'll get killed by the first thing that tries to attack this place"

Both Alex and Angela looked at Rick, both thinking about his words. In a way, he was right.

Even if they manage to build proper walls, it would still be meaningless without something to defend them and the people living within them. It could certainly keep some dangerous dinosaurs at bay, but they couldn't just stay holed up forever. They needed to go out every day to gather water and food. Besides, there was still the issue with what happened to Max.

If they were to get attacked by humans, then the walls would have little use as a defense.

The only way to ensure their survival was by learning how to fight back, but the true question was how to motivate the students to do such a thing in the first place. Most of them were constantly terrified of even the peaceful herbivores on the distance and preffered to run instead of fight. The idea of picking up a weapon and fighting against carnivores seemed unlikely for the flower.

"Not only that, but we also have other problems as well"

"Other problems?" Asked Angela while she and Alex looked at Rick once more.

The sailor looked at both of them before telling them about the conversation he eavesdropped on earlier.

"A lynching!?" Said Alex with a shocked expression

"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" Said Rick while looking at the sportsman and gesturing at him with his hand to be silent

"I...I knew she might try to do something rash, but I never thought it would be something like that"

The sailor looked at the flower as she grew pensive with concern.

Before, he hesitated when telling her about the rumors and pile up to her problems, but this wasn't something that could be ignored. If left alone, it could probably explode into a disaster.

"It didn't seem to me like she had any luck this time, but I doubt she'll stop trying to rile up people as long as he's here"

"I'll to try and talking to her later"

"I don't think she'll listen that easily"

"Even so, I have to try"

Angela knew very well that her words had little strength in the ears of her fellow students, but she also knew that doing nothing would be even worse, and that the difference between the students of the Weathertop and Max was clear as day. Surely, Alex would try to stop it, but no one could predict what the young man would do if backed into a corner. If possible, she wanted to avoid unnecesary injuries or even deaths.

"Kyaahhhhhhhhh! ! !"

Upon hearing the sudden scream echoing from the grasslands outside, the trio turned their heads to look in the direcction it came from.

"What was that!?"

"It came from where the gathering groups are!"

"Shit!" Said Alex before picking up his spear and one of the hatchets left laying around for construction, then turning his head to look at Rick "Let's go!"

The sailor nodded in agreement and quickly followed the sportsman while unsheating his machete from his belt. Both of them ran through the grasslands before finding the source of all the screaming.

The group of students that gathered berries was being attacked by a pack of raptors. The lizards feasting on a dead male and female student as the few who didn't have a snack yet were chasing after those who were fleeing in terror.

"Noooooo! ! ! I don't wanna die! ! !"

"Somebody help me! !"

"U-Uwaaarghhhhhh! ! It huuuuurts!"

With everyone spread out or being chased down, both the sportsman and the sailor were looking from left to right, trying to figure out how to handle the chaotic situation before the two of them spread out as well and went in different directions in an attempt to catch the attention of the raptors that were chasing down their victims.

The first one to get a hit in was Rick, who used his machete to hack at one of the lizards, hitting it right in the neck and getting it's attention, but only leaving a deep scar. Meanwhile, Alex managed to use his spear to stab one right in the leg, effectively stopping it from hunting down those who were fleeing.

"Everyone! Hurry up and run back to the base!" Yelled the sportsman at the top of his lungs

As both Alex and Rick held back the carnivores as best as they could, the terrified students fled back into the base, leaving the bags of berries behind.

The sailor used quick slashing attacks to keep his enemy away while Alex relied on thrusting attacks. These were working at first, but as more raptors joined the fight, it became harder and harder to keep it up due to the numerical disadvantage.

"(Damn it! There's too many of them!)" Thought Alex, who could already tell things were looking more favorable for the dinosaurs

On the middle of the battle, the sportsman caught a glimpse of Max on the distance. He, as well, was being attacked by the raptors. But the young man was putting up a good fight instead of running away. But with that said, victory was still highly unlikely against this many raptors, even with the three of them working together.

"Alex! We can't win against this many!" Yelled the sailor at him "we have to get out of here!"

In the end, the only choice was to retreat.

With a sudden rush of swipes from his spear, Alex managed to make the carnivores fighting against him back off just about enough for him to turn around and run away towards the base.

"Max! Over here!"

Despire being focused on defending himself, the young man's ears caught Alex's voice, making him glance at the sportsman. He saw both him and the sailor running back towards the base while he gestured at him with his arm to go with them.

There was no way he would agree with such a thing under normal circumstances, but the number of raptors was too large for him to fend off alone, and he doubted they'd let him run out of the plateau, at least not with Wilson under his arm.

"(If this is a joke, then it's not funny at all!)"

Reluctantly, Max grabbed Wilson and ran towards the sportsman and the sailor. The three of them heading at full speed towards the base.

Oddly enough, the raptors didn't follow behind them. Instead, they remained just a few feet away and watched them retreat before returning to their fellow pack members to feast on the dead students together.

"They're...Not following us?" Asked Alex while turning around and seeing this grizzly scene

"They probably don't want to risk attacking too many of us at once" Replied the sailor, taking into account the larger amount of students inside the base "I doubt they'll be letting us leave the plateau, though"

"For now, let's just go back to the base and come up with a plan"

Alex didn't like the idea of having the raptors circling around outside the base like this, but it was certainly better than having them storm in and start a massacre. Beside, it gave them time to think up how to solve the current problem.

Once they returned, both Rick and Alex went inside while Max remained on the edge of the entrance, keeping his gaze focused on the raptors outside.

"(So that's what he meant by swarm the place)" Thought the young man while recalling the individual's words

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! ! !"

"They're dead! They ate Marta and Carl!"

"Those things jumped out of nowhere, man! They came out of nowhere and started killing people!"

Those who made it back to the Weathertop in one piece were in an utter panic, and the other students within the base were already concerned about the earlier screams. The things they were hearing from those that just ran back inside, some of them covered in their classmate's blood, did nothing but spark panic among them as well, turning the whole base into a chaos.

"Alex! Rick!" Yelled Lily, who made her way among the students with Alice holding her hand "What happened!?"

"The group gathering berries got attacked by a pack of raptors" Replied Alex, whose breathing was slightly heavy from all the sudden running "Almost everyone made it out, but a couple of people didn't make it in time"

The young woman's expression changed from confusion into shock. The group that got attacked wasn't the one she always went out with, but it was the one before them.

If this had happened just a few minutes later, then she could have ended up being part of the group that was attacked. Or even worse, one of the unfortunate victims.

"Everyone! Please calm down!" Yelled Angela out in an attempt to calm down the crowds

Despite her best efforts, it was futile. The ensuing chaos was too much for her to handle, and it did nothing but grow with each passing second.

Looking at the ruckus, Rick decided to put a stop to it and rummaged through his pant's pockets for a moment or two before pulling a pipe-shapped whistle, then looking at Alex, Lily and Alice.

"Hey, you three. Cover your ears"

"What?"

The sportsman turned his head to look at the sailor with a curious expression, but he didn't get to ask for a better explanation in time. Rick put the whistle in his mouth and blew on it, making wind course through it and release what would probably be the loudest and most ear-rupturing sound any of students would ever hear in their lives.

Everyone placed their hands over their ears almost instantly to protect themselves from the screeching sound that pierced through the air like an ocean of daggers. Even the raptors seemed to have been affected by this sound.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Yelled Alex with his eyes closed before opening one and looking at the sailor "Rick! What the hell was that!?"

"It's a bosun's whistle. It's usually used in ships for ceremonies and stuff"

"Uwaaaahhhhhhhhh! My ears hurt!" Said Lily, who seemed to have been hit so badly by the sudden subsonic attack that she was even slightly dizzy.

"Everyone! Listen up!" Yelled out Rick at the students before pointing at the grasslands outside "Take a look at the raptors outside!"

The students, although momentarily stunned, began to remove their hands from their ears and looked at the direcction he was pointing at before all of them eventually did as he asked. Seeing the raptors wasn't a very calming sight, but it didn't take long for them to realize they weren't getting any closer.

"They have the upper hand, but the large number of people gathered here is making them hesitate" He explained while looking at them "As long as we stay here, they won't try to attack. And most likely, they'll eventually lose interest and move on"

"So what do we do then?"

"What are we gonna eat?"

"And what about water?"

Just as Rick expected, questions began to fly at him in swarms right after everyone's panic began to get replaced by doubts. Fortunately, Angela was able to take the reels.

"We have a large supply of berries and fish stored. We may not have as much water, but it can last us two weeks if we ration it carefully" Replied the blue flower as everyone focused on her "And just for safety measures, we'll set up a guard shift so we can always have someone keeping an eye on the surroundings"

"A guard shift?"

"That's right" She responded while nodding in confirmation before gesturing with her hand at Alex and Rick "Because they seem to have some experience in fighting these wild animals, I had already planned to assign this duty to Alex and Rick. If somebody else is willing to sign up as well, then please step forward"

For a short moment, the students looked at each other in silence, some whispering among each other.

"I'll do it!"

Among the large group, everyone's heads turned at the lone girl who stepped forward. Her hair reached down to her chin and was red like blood, while her eyes had a clear blue hue that mached the skies. They seemed to hide some aggressiveness, but also held a strong determination.

"Milly!?" Said Sally while looking at her friend from the back

"I'll be on guard duty too!"

Angela looked at her for a moment before agreeing to her decision to enlist as a guard.

"I see. Very well then" She said before looking at the larger group once again "Anyone else?"

A few moments of silence lingered over the base before the blue flower was certain there were no more candidates willing to sign up.

"Okay then. Right now, we'll start by gathering all the food and water in a single spot and keep record of the exact amount we have"

While Angela took the duty of handling resource management, Alex and Rick were left to handle how to manage the guard shifts with Milly.

The sportsman was slightly concerned the red-headed woman may still have a bit of an issue with him, or rather, with Max, but nonetheless he tried starting out with a friendly approach.

"Hey. I guess we're working together now" He said wihile extending one hand towards her "Let't try get along, okay?"

Despite his attempt to befriend her, Milly simply slapped his hand away and gave him a rather nasty stare.

"Don't start acting all jolly with me" She replied with a displeased tone "I'm not here to be pals with you guys"

"Then why did you sign up to be a guard?" Asked Rick while looking at her with his arms crossed

"Isn't it obvious?" She said while focusing her gaze on him now "I don't trust you guys...If anything, I'm sure you'll probably try to make a run for it when those things come in here"

"Hey, now. That's a little..." Said Alex while looking at her and sweat dropping

"Think whatever you want. But keep in mind, we're all in the same boat here" Interrupted Rick while taking a step closer to her "Whetever you hate us or not, you'll have to work with us for the time being"

"No need to remind me that..."

Milly's less than friendly attitude aside, she was willing to do her part and work alongside them, even if it was leaning more on the reluctant side at this point.

Without giving much room to argument or discussion, the red-headed girl decided she'd be the one to take the night shift, as she felt like that would be the time when Alex's group was most likely to try something, or at least that's what she hypotesized. The sportsman and the sailor weren't given much of a choice and ended up accepting, leaving the morning and afternoon shift to be divided between both of them.

Max, on the other hand, didn't take on a shift or even agree to be a guard. The only reason he stayed just outside the entrance was because he refused to go into the base, no matter how much Alex tried to convince him. In a way, this concerned him for his friend's safety, but it also meant the young man would be a full-time guard. After all, if the raptors decided to attack, he would be forced to fight for the sake of self-defense.

After a short discussion, Alex agreed to take the morning shift while Rick handled the afternoon, making the rest of the day go by surprisngly fast before the first night eventually arrived.

"(She should be here any moment now)" Thought the sailor, who had his machete on hand and standing on the side of the entrance, while looking up at the orange sky growing darker by the minute.

During his wait, Rick's gaze diverted towards Max, who was sitting on the opposite side of the entrance to his. As always, he didn't say a word to him, remaining silent and seemingly absorbed in his own thoughts.

At this point, the sailor was already getting used to it, but it didn't change the fact it made for a very uncomfortable mood.

"Hey, Max..."

As he expected from someone who spoke only to Alex, the young man gave him no response at all. Nonetheless, Rick felt like this was something he needed to say himself.

"I know you probably don't care, but listen to me for a second" He said while looking at him "I'm sure you overheard it when we were talking before, but that redhead from earlier today is gonna stay here during the nights...And she seems to have a bone to pick with you"

Again, there was only silence. But surprisngly, the young man's gaze was now focused on him. At very least, he was listening to his words instead of just pretending he didn't even exist.

"I bet she's gonna treat you like crap, but try not to lash out at her" Explained the sailor, resuming from where he left off "Quite a few people here already see you as a threat, so don't give them a reason to be right"

In all honesty, the sailor himself felt like Max was a threat as well. There were quite a few lingering questions and doubts within his head regarding the young man, but Rick felt like at the very least he should warn him. Not only for his sake, but for the sake of the rest of Alex's group.

Unfortunately, silence was the only answer his request received. Nonetheless, Max's eyes remained focused on the sailor for a few more moments before focusing on the grasslands again. Whetever he chose to accept or reject, Rick knew he was thinking about it.

Shortly afterwards, the sailor turned his head to look into the base and saw Milly walking towards them while carrying a spear with her. Most likely a weapon she borrowed from Alex, or perhaps even made herself.

At first she ignored him, but the redhead quickly gave Rick a rather unpleased stare before breaking the silence.

"What?" She asked, noticing his stare was focused on her

"No, it's nothing" He replied calmly "I'll be leaving things in your care now"

"I don't need you to tell me that" Replied Milly while standing at the side of the entrance and then looking at the grasslands "I'm not letting anything hurt Sally, especially you guys"

The sailor looked at her and sweat dropped.

As uncomfortable or irritating as Max's tendency to ignore everyone and everything or to lash out when approached carelessly made him a difficult person to deal with, it wasn't as exasperating as Milly's sassy, rude attitude.

"And that goes for YOU too!" Added the redhead while pointing at Max with her spear "If you even think about getting too close to Sally, I'll beat your ass down! You hear!?"

"He-Hey!"

For a moment, Rick worried things may suddenly end really badly. But despite Milly's threat, the young man didn't even bat an eye at her, seemingly not bothered at all by having a spear aimed at him. Was this calm act of disregard a result of the sailor's request, or simply his way of responding to those around him?

"Hey! Didn't ya hear me!?"

Either way, being utterly ignored by Max really got on the redhead's nerves. For a moment it seemed like she would lash out even harder, but instead she decided to play the same game and ignore him as well.

"Fine, whatever" She said after clicking her tongue and looking at the grasslands with an irritated expression.

Milly wanted to make sure Max and Alex's group wouldn't try anything that could end up hurting her group, and especially Sally, at all cost. Even if the young man ignored her warnings, there was no need to worry as long as she was there to keep an eye on him and make sure he wouldn't try anything funny,

Rick, who witnessed this scene just now, wasn't sure whetever he should feel happy a fight didn't start or concerned this may merely be a prelude to it. One way or the other, only time would tell the outcome.

"(I...Guess it could have been worse)" Thought the sailor while sweat dropping, now faced once again with an even more awkward mood than before

A part of him felt like leaving them alone would be a terrible idea, but it was already getting late and loosing sleep over it wouldn't help anybody at all, especially him.

With a lingering feeling of reluctance, Rick turned around and walked back to the thatch hut where all the boys slept at. It was as silent as outside, but he saw many students rolling around in their sleeping bags, and some of them just sitting there, not even wanting to lay down. Many of them were surely having a hard time sleeping due to the anxiety of the threat looming outside their base. A fear many of them had almost forgotten at this point.

And if it was this bad here, then one could only imagine how bad things were in the girl's hut right now.

Regardless, the sailor decided to head towards his own sleeping bag and laid down before turning around his head and spotting Alex. Unlike most other students, he was already sleep, or probably trying to fall asleep. A surprising feat, considering the current situation.

Rick, who could already feel himself growing tired, decided to follow his example and closed his eyes, atempting to get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow.

Fortunately, he was able to make his consciousness drift away within just a few moments, allowing the night to pass by quickly and giving a start to what would be a long period of uncertainity and fear.

*Scene*

Beyond the short exchange between Milly and Max during the first night, the first few days went by relatively peacefully thanks to Angela's efficient management of the food and water. However, it didn't take long for problems to eventually start surging.

"Hey, what the hell!?" Said one student while looking at another one in front of him, who was first in line "Why is your cooked fish bigger than mine!?"

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!"

"Who cares if it's bigger!?"

"Then swap it with mine!"

"Fuck you! This one's mine!"

"See!? It is bigger!"

In order to make their supplies last longer, Angela arranged a system of rations where everyone would need to be given a specific amount twice per day that would consist of one piece of cooked fish meat and a handful of berries. At first it worked well enough, but it eventually began to cause issues among the students, who had grown used to having a plentiful amount of food to eat.

"Give that to me! I want that one!"

"Get away, you bastard!" Said the second student while taking his rations away from him "I'll kick your ass if you don't!"

"Yo-You two! Please, don't fight!" Requested one of the girls handing over the food, who was growing anxious by the fight taking place between both of them.

The two students struggled against eachother, getting rougher and rougher with every second.

"Hey, both of you! Knock it off already!"

Just before both guys could turn their struggling into a fist fight, the blue flower ran into the scene along with Rick, who helped break up the students. It took a few minutes of talking to, but she somehow managed to convince both of them to stop it and accept their share in silence, allowing the line to keep moving forward with a somewhat relative peace.

Once the last person was given their share, Angela sat down on a log to try and relax before lowering her head and sighing.

"Work good" Said the sailor while getting closer to stand next to her

"Likewise..."

Thanks to the flower, things went by smoothly, although she felt like having a man with a machete standing next to her during the whole ordeal helped keep people in line more than just a little bit.

Unfortunately, she couldn't feel all too happy about this yet.

"Even though we still have plenty to go with, people are already starting to fight over rations"

"It was just a small argument, though" Replied Rick, trying to lessen the severity of the situation "Nothing that can't be taken care of for now"

"For now, huh?"

Despite his attempt to sound somewhat comforting, the sailor couldn't help but let slip what he really thought at the end. Although Angela already knew that just as well as he did, even if she didn't want to say it out loud.

Today's incident was small and quick to supress with ease, but this fight was the warning signal that things would only go downhill from now on. And it didn't take long for their prediction to come true.

With the constant insomnia, the never-ending hunger and the feeling of being traped in a cage, the student's fear began to evolve into anger as everything piled up within their minds. The supplies growing more and more scarce and the constant sight of raptors on the distance didn't really help either.

Not even two days passed before fights for food began to take place on an almost constant basis, and by the time a full week passed, people began to fight each other more aggresively, sometimes even fighting for things that didn't have to do with food at all anymore.

"Kyah!?"

"What do you have in that bag with you!?" Asked one of the students with a rather aggresive tone at Sally, who was carrying a small bag with her "Did you steal food!?"

"N-No, I didn't!"

In truth, the bag was filled with nothing but a few personal feminine products that she had to use due to an unforeseen situation, but was too ashamed to do so within the women's hut were all the other girls could see her. Hence why she went to find Lilly to help her find a place to have some privacy and be relatively safe at the same time.

Unfortunately, seeing a lone person heading towards the only exit in the base with something within a bag was more than enough to arise suspicions in any of the students, whose irritated and sleep-deprived minds made them come up with excuses to aim fingers at anyone.

"That's bullshit!" He snarled while reaching towards her bag "You're hiding stolen food, aren't you!? Give it to me!"

"No! Please, stop!"

Rather than trying to catch a thief, the student simply wanted to take the food for himself, but this was by no means something that would stop him.

The two of them struggled for a moment or two as some of the people around watched, curious about what was happening.

"Sally!"

As Milly's voice called out to her friend from the distance, she suddenly ran towards her and delivered a swift knee on the student's side, causing him to let go of the bag and fall to the floor.

"Ghurgh!"

"Sally! Are you okay!?"

"Ye-Yeah..."

As the redhead checked on her friend, the student got back up on her feet. One hand placed on his side as the knee he received just now hurt quite badly.

"You bastard! What were you doing to Sally!?" Asked Milly with an angry tone while turning around to look at him with a fierce expression

"That bitch stole food!" He snarled while pointing at the bag Sally was holding "She's hiding it in that bag!"

"That's wrong! I didn't steal anything!"

"Then show me what's in the bag!"

"I can't do that!" Replied Sally, who was holding the bag tightly. Her eyes closed and her cheeks growing redder due to embarassment "This is...!"

Seeing how she was struggling to answer what was within the bag and considering she was the only person the twin-tailed girl told about her current issue, it didn't take long for Milly to realize what she was hiding in there.

"She doesn't have to show anything to a jerk like you!" Snarled the redhead while turning her head to look at the student again "If she says she didn't steal anything, then she didn't do it!"

"Screw you! First she gets to eat double rations, and now this!?"

"The hell are you talking about now!?"

"What!? You think no one noticed!?" Said the student while pointing at her in an indiscriminating way "That bitch always takes an extra one for herself!"

"Shut up! There's no way Sally would do something like that!"

"Then where does she get the extra food from!?"

"That's..."

Despite the rations being enough to help one withstand for some time, hunger still lingered within everyone, including Sally. During the first few days, she managed to hold back the urge, but the latter eventually won. And although it weighted down on her, desperation drew her to take that extra piece of cooked fish one day while no one was watching. Although she believed no one seemed to notice the first time and swore not to do it again, hunger quickly took control and forced her hand, despite knowing how wrong it was.

The twin-tailed girl also knew she'd have to confess about what she did to Angela eventually, since she was the one to keep track of the food and would eventually find out by herself that the numbers didn't match up, but was too scared to do so. Not even her best friend Milly knew of this, yet she realized the accusation to be true after seeing the guilt on Sally's expression.

"That's because I share my rations with her!"

In an attempt to cover up for her friend's wrongdoings, the redhead attempted to use the simple excuse of her sharing her food with Sally. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be convincing enough for the accusator.

"That's bullshit! Just give me that bag already!"

"Get away, damn it!"

In reflexive response to the student's sudden approach, Milly took hold of her spear with both hands and did a horizontal swipe. While it didn't cause any serious injury, the rock tip was able to graze him and leave a small cut in his cheek. Not an injury to worry about too much, but certainly one that gave him quite the scare, causing him to take a few steps back and fall down on his rear.

"Don't you dare get close to me or to Sally!" Snarled the redhead with her spear held tightly and with the same fierce tone as before "I'll skewer you if try again! I swear I will!"

"Mi-Milly, stop!" Said the twin-haired girl while looking at her "That's going too far!"

The student placed one hand over his cheek, then removed it to look at the blood in his palm. At first her threat scared him, but the anger already dominating him transformed it into rage instead, making his blood boil.

As his eyes diverted to the side, he saw a stone hatchet lying next to a few logs of wood and took a hold of it before getting back up on his feet.

"That hurt, you fucking bitch!" He yelled in rage while lounging forward with his weapon raised high up

Seeing the incoming threat, Milly made a fierce expression and tried lounging forward as well, ready to attack him again.

"Stop!"

As the two closed in and were inches away from clashing in battle, Alex and Rick quickly jumped in to stop the fight, with the sportsman getting a hold of the male student while the Sailor restrained Milly as well as Sally wrapping her arms around her waist, making both of them drop their weapons.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Asked Alex who was attempting to understand why he just saw two people trying to kill each other "Did you two go mad or something!?"

"Let go! Let go, damn it!" Snarled the redhead while struggling to free herself from Rick and Sally's grip

"Milly, please stop it already! I'm begging you, just stop!"

The struggling lasted for a good two minutes before they finally calmed down shortly before Angela arrived on the scene.

Once the blue flower was done asking Sally, who was pretty much the most rational person to witness the entire incident, she made her decision on how to proceed.

"Milly, you're not allowed to carry around your spear until your shift arrives"

"What!? But why!?" Snarled the redhead while pointing at the male student "He's the one that started it!"

"Bullshit! You're the one that attacked me with that spear first!"

"It doesn't matter who started it! There's no reason to validate trying to kill each other like that!"

Both of them stopped trying to retort after Angela raised her voice, instead letting her go on.

"You reasoning might have been to protect Sally, but you took it too far" She said before turning her head to look at the male student "And you. If you feel confident someone is breaking the rules, you're supposed to inform it to me, not to try and use your own version of justice"

"Erm..."

"Hm?"

Angela turned her head to look at the twin-tails haired girl, who was looking back at her with a shy expression and a bit of a blush.

"What is it?"

"About what I told you before..."

Despite Sally's vague phrasing, the blue flower understood right away just from her expression. After all, she saw what was within the bag.

"I understand you want some proper privacy to handle this, but I can't allow you to go out there and risk your life, especially now" She replied calmly "But with that said, I think there's a better way to do this"

In an attempt to solive the issue, Angela offered a safer alternate solution. Instead of going outside, the blue flower took Sally to the girl's hut, which was empty right now. Once there, the twintails-haired girl took care of her personal business while she would keep watch outside.

So far, this wasn't something the female students made a very big ruckus about, The few that had to deal with this natural bodily problem so far relied on the help of a friend to keep an eye out for them while others waited until very late in the night to do it after making sure everyone was sleeping.

After she was done, Angela went back inside to have a small conversation with her regarding the accusations tossed out by the male student, something that she had already heard from a couple of people already. In the end, Sally confessed to it rather easily, perhaps due to feeling like she couldn't hide it any longer.

There weren't many other forms of punishment that she could do besides prohibiting her from eating rations today, but she knew the others wouldn't accept something so simple as a reprimand for stealing food, so Angela decided to remove the Twintails-haired girl from her duty of handing over the rations, taking the duty on her own hands, and told her to remain confined within the hut for at least or day or two, the latter being more of a way to keep her out of reach from any student with a short-fuse that might let irritation get the best out of them rather than a punishment in question, but Sally accepted all of it without any argument.

As for the male student, he would receive a similar punishment for as well. And Milly, who despite keeping her position as guard, wouldn't be allowed to carry her spear within the base anymore, nor any sort of weapon or sharpened tool as for that matter. The spear she already had would be kept by Rick and handed over to her only during the start of her shift at night. It was a given this would irritate her, but there was little room for her to argue.

Eventually, a few more days passed without any large incidents like that one, but arguments and fights still arose constantly among the students. Nonetheless, things seemed to have reached a somewhat stable level. Or at least they did, until an unexpected problem suddenly struck the Weathertop in a way no one could have expected. Food decay.

After almost a week and half, many of the berries and meat they kept stored had begun to slowly take a more rotten color and releae a foul odor. Over half the food rotted away, making it inedible, and severely diminishing their food supplies even further. Not to mention the water was already almost out as well.

In other words, they were running out of time, and this situation became clear as crystal after going two days without food.

"Hey, hey! Are we seriously out of food!?"

"I thought we had enough to last longer!"

"What are we gonna do now?"

Those among the base began to worry and grow more anxious as the news spread and the once bountiful amount of food faded away, leaving nothing other than an empty space behind.

"This is bad" Said Rick, who was standing next to Angela with his arms crossed "If we don't do something fast, everyone is gonna starved to death in a week"

"I know..."

"Why not just make a gathering group with Alex and Rick?" Suggested Lily while sitting next to the flower

"That wouldn't work" Replied the sailor "Even if we can fend off a few and gather some berries, that still wouldn't be enough to keep ourselves fed for long. We'd need to gather multiple times per day to keep this many people fed...Besides. If we go and get killed, there won't be anything stopping those lizards from storming in and starting a massacre"

Besides from the lack of food, the lack of water was hitting hard as well. Unless Angela came up with something soon, it would be a matter of days before people started trying to kill eachother for whatever scraps of food they could find or before they grew weaker and died from starvation and dehydratation.

The young woman's idea of sending out a gathering group protected by Alex and Rick wasn't a bad one, but the chance of it working was very low. The greatest risk of this plan being that the raptors, which are a pack animal and numbered over a dozen, would most likely attack all at once. And as skilled as they were, the two of them wouldn't be able to survive against that many carnivores, at least not if they had to protect an entire group of people in the process.

In the worst case scenarion, the whole group would die, including both of them, and effectively destroying what little defenses the Weathertop base had left.

"With that said, I guess we don't have much of a choice" Said Rick, who grew pensive for a moment before looking at both women "If it comes down to it, we'll have to-"

Before the sailor could finish his words, the entrance to the hut was suddenly opened by both Alice and Sally. The two of them seemed to be alarmed

"Angela, there's trouble!"

"Lily! Rick!"

"What's wrong, Alice!?" Asked Lily, who was concerned about seeing the little girl in such a state.

"It's big brother!" Said the younger sister, who was finally catching her breath "They're trying to kill big brother!"

When hearing her speak about Max, Rick instantly knew something bad had happened just from looking at her expression, but hearing the latter was what shocked the trio.

Without even wasting a second, everyone rushed out of the girl's hut and quickly headed to the bases's entrance. There, they found a group of at least six stuends, all holding either sticks or hatchets while aiming them at Max, who was on his feet and already carrying a hatchet in one hand and a spear in the other. The only thing keeping both sides from engaging in battle being Alex, who stood in between with his spear held with both hands in a defensive position.

"Move aside!" Yelld Sally, who was in the front and probably the one leading this sudden attack

"I told you already! I'm not doing that!" Snarled the sportsman to the student on the front center "Just stop this already!"

"Then give us the bird!"

"You people! What are you doing!?" Asked the blue flower, whose voice made most students turn their heads to look at her "Put those hatchets down!"

Despite Angela's voice being more than loud and clear enough to be heard by everyone, the students aiming their weapons at Max didn't even bother looking at her.

"Didn't you hear me!? I told you to-!"

"Shut up! ! ! Just shut up already! ! !"

The blue flower's eyes widened in surprise after hearing one of the students shout so suddenly at her.

"I'm so sick and tired of always having you boss us around! ! !" Yelled the student once more "Everyday you go around pretending we're in school and act like this is some camping trip gone wrong! ! !"

"We've been out of food for days, and this bastard literally keeps flapping that bird of his around!" Snarled another one "Do you have any idea how much meat we could get out of it!?"

"We're gonna get that damn thing and eat it, even if we have to take it by force!"

Angela was rendered speechless. She knew the students were more and more desperate, but she never imagined they'd get desperate enough to try and kill each other, or at least that's what she kept telling herself.

"And what do you do after getting it!?" Snarled Alex to the armed group "There's no way all of you can fill up with one bird! Or what, are you telling me you're gonna try and kill each other once you get it from us!?"

"At least that's way better than starving to death!"

As tensions grew high, the sportsman prepared for what would be a battle. And Rick knew this would only end in bloodshed unless he did something. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like anything Angela said right now would work to calm them down.

His mind kept running as fast as it could, trying to come up with a solution before suddenly feeling Lily poking his shoulder.

"Hey, Rick..." She asked while looking forward, her expression more of surprise than anything else "Where are the raptors?"

"Eh?"

The sailor followed the direction Lily's finger was pointing at and looked at the grasslands. just like she said, the raptors that roamed them for the last week or so were nowhere to be seen.

Usually, they'd be clearly visible just a short distance away from the base, circling around in wait for any of them to come out. But today there wasn't even the slightest sight of them. Almost as if they had dissapeared.

"Hey, you guys!" Quickly said Rick while making his way to the front and pointing at the outskirts "Look outside!"

It was more of a gamble than anything else, but this was the only choice he could come up with right now. Fortunately, this time it seemed to work as many students looked outside and noticed the exact same thing he did.

"Where are the monsters?"

"Are...Are they gone?"

At first confusion spread around them, but it was quickly replaced by joy as they came to realize the creatures that haunted them for so long were finally gone. Most likely they got tired of waiting and decided to leave. Or at least that's what most of them concluded.

"They're gone! They're finally gone!"

"We're saved!"

"We can finally go get more food!"

In a split second, everyone quickly ran out of the base and towards the fields packed with bushes.

"He-Hey, everyone! Wait a moment!" Said the blue flower while extending one hand towards them "Don't just rush out like that!"

Rick tried to avoid the confrontation, but this wasn't exactly what he wanted either. After all, running out like that, even without the raptors around, was still a reckless thing to do.

As the stampede of students rushed through the entrance, both Alex and Max moved aside, the latter making sure to keep Wilson behind his legs just in case anyone tried something.

Once they were outside, the large group began to ravage through the bushes and taking all the berries the could before stuffing them in their mouths, quenching their hunger as best they could.

The only people left within the base were Alex's group, Max and Angela.

"Hey, everyone" Asked Alice while looking at the people around her "Can we go too?"

"I'm hungry too, so I say we go" Added Lily with a smile

"Wait, you two..." Interrupted the sailor

"Eh? Why?" She asked while looking at him

"Something's not right here" He replied with a stern expression "Sure, it's been two weeks alerady. But wild animals are usually very persistent when it comes to prey"

While the group looked at them for a moment longer, Alex turned his head to look at Max for a moment. Somehow, the young man's eyes didn't seem very focused on the students. Rather, he seemed more focused on the rock formations around them.

The sportsman couldn't help but feel like there was something concerning about this, and his concerns were confirmed after seeing Max calmly close his eyes and, almost as if he had no interest in seeing the carnage that was about to take place.

Alex quickly turned his head and looked at the students once again. In a split moment, over a dozen raptors jumped out into the open from behind the rocks. Some of them jumping on top of them while others ran out from behind and got on the opposite side, effectively surrounding the large group, which went into a panic after seeing their current situation.

"Wha-What the hell!?"

"Where did they come from!?"

The pack of carnivores made sure they had surrounded their prey before suddenly moving in to attack, giving a headstart to a chaotic massacre.

"Uwaaaahhh! !"

Alex's group looked at the scene taking place not far away from them with shock.

"It was a trap..." Said Rick, who was the first one to break the silence "They pretended to leave just to set up an ambush"

"We have to do something or they'll get eaten!" Added Lily

"You say that, but there's no way the two of us can take down that many"

When hearing him say that, the flower quickly turned her head to look at the sailor. At first she didn't understand why he said "two of us" when there were three body-abled men capable of fighting, but she realized he didn't include Max in the equation because he wouldn't fight at beck and call like them, even if the two of them jumped into the fray.

"Please..."

"Angela?"

Alex's group looked at the blue flower and saw her approaching Max.

"Please, save them!"

It was a desperate request, and one with little chance of succeding, but Angela didn't know what to do anymore.

No matter what she said or did, the students wouldn't listen to her. She tried making a safe haven, and it failed. She tried creating a system, and it crumbled down like a pile of cards in a storm. And now that there was no escape, there was no way for her to do something. There was no way for her to fend off that many wild carnivores. And even with the help of Alex and Rick, it was still a hopeless situation. Her only choice was to try and get at least one extra pair of hands to help.

A short silence took place before Max finally turned his head to look at Angela for a moment, approached her and gave her a quick jab in the face.

"Angela!"

The blue flower fell to the ground like a ragdoll before slowly getting on her knees and placing one hand over her lower face. A trail of blood pouring out of the left nostril and the edge of her lip due to the impact, staining her fingers and dripping down into the dirt.

"Angela, are you okay!?" Said Lily while her and Alice kneeled next to her and tried to check on her face

"Hey, Max! What the fuck was that for!?" Asked Alex with an irritated expression "She was just asking you for help!"

"Don't try to boss me around, you fake cunt..." Said the young man, completely ignoring the sportsman's question, while his eyes remained focused on the woman lying on the ground.

Angela turned her head to look at the young man, her expression a mixture of shock, confusion and surprie from hearing him finally talk to her directly for the first time since they arrived to the base.

"I don't know about them, but I'm not gonna be someone else's bitch" He continued on, his expression showing that ever-lingering animosity along with that look of disdain that made it feel like she was nothing more than a pest to him "Especially not to a little dupe that likes to pretend she's still in school"

The blue flower's eyes widened after hearing his answer.

"Damn it, why are you always doing this!?"

"That's right!" Added Lily "That's a really mean thing to say!"

Although everyone was against the young man's harsh words, Angela couldn't do the same. Because she knew his words were right.

Deep down, the blue flower knew exactly what he meant. She knew that what she did was simply an attempt to reenact the normalcy that they once had, pretending they were still at school. Partly because she felt like it would help everyone overcome the fear, but also because she herself was among those who felt the greatest fear. Because she knew the one to gain the greatest sense of comfort and safety from this would be her.

Creating a large wall of spikes and duties similar to those they had back in school was her way of shutting out the outer world and to forget about it. But in the end, all she did was pull the wool over everyone's eyes, especially hers. Whenever something happened, she simply averted her eyes and pretended it would eventually solve itself.

In the end, what she truly lacked was the common sense to see reality. And now that this reality came to shatter her imaginary cage, all she could do was constantly beg the few who had seen it all along to keep the cage safe, to keep the deception going.

She was no leader. She was simply a fool that took advantage of her prior position and pretended to be the one in charge so everyone would play long with her.

"(This is my fault...This is all my fault...)" She thought to herself while focusing on the battle outside "(Because of me...Everyone is going to die...)"

Just by looking at the students who were running all over or trying to keep the raptors back with sticks and, trying to avoid getting devoured, Angela felt a strong guilt. A guilt that soon turned into the need to take action.

She felt this mess was her fault, so therefore she was the one that had to do something about this, not Alex's group.

"Angela?"

In a quick reaction, the blue flower went for the sailor and shoved her hand inside his pant's pocket, pulling out his whistle and taking it with her before turning around towards the entrance and running past Alex and Max, snatching the sportman's spear from his hands in the process.

"Hey, Angela!?"

While running, the blue flower placed the whistle on her mouth and held it using her lips before holding the spear closer to the stone tip, which she used to do a large cut in her palm. Blood began to pour out of the cut, dying her palm in red and releasing the distinctive smell of blood into the air. A smell that reached the nostrils of the raptors.

Once she got close enough to the large group of students, Angela blew on the whistle and released the eardrum-rupturing sound that echoed all over the pleateau countless times in order to get the attention of the carnivores and make them follow her. And sure enough, it caught their attention.

This, combined with the smell of fresh blood coming from her hand, caused the raptors to look at her direcction and go after the flower. Partly due to the seductive smell of the sanguine liquid, but also because they wanted to make that infernal sound stop.

"Wha-What's going on?"

"Hey...Isn't that Angela?"

One after the other, the students caught an eye of the blue flower and looked at her running away from them, leading the raptors away as well.

"What is she doing?"

"Maybe she has a plan!"

The first thought that came into the heads of many was that Angela had cooked up some sort of plan to chase away the raptors or make them leave, but little did they know, what they were seeing was not a plan, but rather an action taken out of impulse and raw emotion.

The blue flower had no plan at all, but that didn't stop her from wanting to help her fellow classmates. All she could do right now was try and lure them away, then fend them off for as long as she could to give the others enough time to escape.

She kept running and running as fast as she could, her legs feeling heavier with each step she took, while the raptors chased behind her. When Angela felt like she had made enough distance to give everyone a good chance, she stopped and allowed her pursuers to surround her.

"You want me?" She whispered after letting the whistle slip out of her lips

What she had decided was nothing short of suicidal, but the blue flower made up her mind. For the sake of her fellow students who she failed to lead properly, and to make up to those that she could have saved, she was going to make a last stand. Even if she had to do it alone, she would protect those who trusted in her. That wasn't just a decision born out or emotion. It was her determination as the leader of the Weathertop base, as the leader of the blue students.

"Then come and get me! ! !" Yelled the leader of the blue students with an unmatched fervor and determination as she held the spear with both hands

The carnivores didn't hesitate to lounger at her all at once. At first she managed to fend the first few off by swinging the spear around, but soon enough one managed to get on top of her and caused her to fall down to the ground, followed by the rest moving in.

"Angela! ! !"

Everyone looked in horror and shock as the raptors got on top of the Blue flower. All of them struggling, pushing and almost bitting each other just to get a bite out of her first, all the while she was getting crushed underneath them.

"No way...Why?"

"Why did she do that? Didn't she have a plan?"

"Damn it!" Said Milly, who was in the middle of group and had a hold of Sally's hand "Sally! We have to hurry up and get out of here while we can!"

"I-I don't wanna!"

"Sally?"

Despite the whole point of Angela's effort being to give the students a chance to escape, not a single person left. Instead, everyone just looked at the scene in front of them, almost as if something deep within them wouldn't allow them to do so. And the first one to realize the meaning behind this feeling was Sally.

"I don't want to leave Angela to die!" Said the twintail-haired girl, whose eyes were getting teary "Even though no one asked her to do it, Angela became our leader and tried to help everyone not feel so scared! Even though she was probably just as scared as everyone, and even though everyone was always so mean to her, she was always doing the best she could!"

Sally's words pierced those around her like bullets, making them realize what they ignored all along.

As flawed or as bossy of a leader as she might be, the blue flower always did everything she could to help those around her. She honestly cared about the well-being of everyone in the base, while everything they could do instead was care only about themselves.

"I..." Said Sally, tears rushing down her face, before releasing herself from Milly's grip, picking up a large stick from the ground and running towards the pack of raptors "I don't want to see another friend die!"

Seeing the girl who was thought of as the most shy and cowardly among the group running towards the jaws of danger to save Angela, something sparked up within them.

Some initially thought it was guilt, shame or impotence in the face of the situation, but they soon realized it was something else. After seeing so many deaths, after losing so many friends, the students had grown terrified and desperate, but it was thanks to Angela that they managed to keep their sanity and some glimmer of hope. And right now, that very same person who gave them hope, who did so much for them, was being mauled by the very creatures that killed so many of the friends they cherished. It was then that the fear inside of them transformed into anger and a strong desire to fight.

They were all sick and tired of running away, and sick and tired of losing friends. There was no way they'd be able to bear seeing yet another person, especially Angela of all people, dying in such a horrible way.

"Me too!" Said another student from among the crowd, who picked up a stick as well and ran forward "I don't want to see Angela die either!"

This spur of random bravery soon turned into a chain reaction that spread throughout all of them, turning the once terrified mass of students into an stampeding army charging forward in unison.

"Get off of our leader, you oversized lizards!"

"Save Angela! Don't let her die!"

With makeshift hatchets, spears, sticks and even stones to toss, the students fought back against the raptor pack to save their leader, dividing into packs of three to four to fight each one. And the carnivores, who inmediately noticed this counterattack, quickly turned to face the students to strike back as well, giving a headstart to a large battle.

"Let's go help too!" Said Alex while turning around to look at Rick and Lily.

The two of them nodded in agreement to the sportsman and followed him out of the base and towards the battle.

"Everyone, wait!"

"Alice! Be nice and stay with Max!" Said Lily while looking over her shoulder at the little girl with a smile

"Yeah!" Added the sailor with a bit of a taunting tone "It's not like he's gonna show some balls and join the fray anyway!"

His taunt was as clear as water, but it still made a vein mark pop on the young man's forehead. Nonetheles, all he did was pretend to ignore it.

"Erm..." Asked Alice while turning her head to look at her older brother after seeing the rest of the group leave "You're really not going to help?"

Max didn't reply to this question and simply remained quiet, making the current atmosphere rather uncomfortable for the little girl.

"Look out for the jaws! Don't let them pounce on you!"

"Take this!"

"Why, you little...!"

As the fight raged on, the students were having a difficult time against the wild beasts at first, but they were slowly starting to gain some ground. And the addition of Alex and Rick would be more than just a little help.

"Lily! You and Rick go find Angela and carry her back to the base!"

The sportsman quickly rushed to help against the raptors while both the young woman and the sailor made their way through the battlefield in search of the blue flower. Lily's handling of a spear was still clumsy, but Rick was able to make up for it.

"Rick! Look over there!"

It took some searching, but the young woman eventually managed to find her. When the two made their way to her, their expressions changed into shocked ones.

"Angela!"

The blue flower had countless bruises all over her body along with a few bite marks on her arms, legs and shoulders. Miraculously, she was still alive, although unconscious.

Due to their constant struggling amongst each other, the raptors couldn't get a proper bite on her, leaving only shallow marks that didn't bleed enough for it to be life-threatening. Angela as well seemed to have instinctively covered the nape of her neck with her hands to avoid getting it bitten.

"She's still alive, but I doubt she'll be moving anytime soon!" Said the sailor after placing his index and middle finger on her wrist at the base of the thumb, then looking at Lily "We're gonna have to carry her out of here!"

The young woman nodded in agreement and quickly took a hold of Angela's legs while Rick took a hold of her shoulders.

"At the count of three!" He said while getting a better grip on Angela's shoulders "One...two...Three!"

In a sudden movement, both of them quickly lifted her up and made their way back to the base while avoiding the ongoing battles around them. They sucsessfully managed to avoid getting caught up, but in their haste both Lily and Rick failed to notice one lone raptor breaking out from the larger fight and chasing after them.

"Rick! Look out!"

Despite the young woman's last minute warning, the sailor only managed to turn his head around to look over his shoulder at the raptor pouncing right towards him, who was unable to defend himself due to having both hands busy carrying Angela.

"Shit!"

As he saw the large jaws getting closer, a stone spear suddenly flew right past his head, missing him by mere inches, and went right into the raptor's mouth, piercing right through the carnivore's flesh and killing it in one hit.

"Eh?"

Both Rick and Lily turned their heads to look at the direcction the spear came from and saw the young man. His stance suggesting he was the one to launch the spear.

"Whoa...Max has really good aim" Said the young woman, who was surprised by the precise accuracy of the spear throw

The sailor didn't reply. He simply broke a cold sweat and silently looked at the young man.

Judging by his displeased expression, Rick couldn't help but get the feeling that what happened just now was his luck rather than Max's aim.

"I missed" Said Max to himself with a displeased tone after clicking his tongue

"(He missed?)" Thought Alice while looking at him and sweat dropping "(So he wasn't aiming at the monster?)"

The little girl felt like she just heard something rather dangerous, but chose to pretend she didn't hear it instead. After all, telling others about it would probably be a bad idea.

After both Lily and Rick carried the blue flower into the base where she would be safe, the young woman stayed with her and tried to tend to her wounds while the sailor quickly returned to the battle.

"Come on! We can do this!" Yelled Alex as he kept pushing back a raptor with his spear.

As the skirmish proceeded, the students began to gain more ground than the wild dinosaurs, which were growing weaker and more injured. Eventually, they began to die one by one, causing them to go from the offensive to the defensive. And by the time only three of them remained, the raptors realized this was a losing battle and turned tail to run away.

After the last raptor left and only the students remained, a short silence fell over the entire plateau.

"They ran away?"

"Yeah, I think they did"

"Then...We won?"

It took a moment for everyone's minds to fully process this piece of information. But slolwy, it dawned on everyone.

"We won..."

Those words that echoed through the air got repeated within everyone's minds a few times, causing everyone to recall all the times they were forced to run away. The faces of all the classmates and friends they lost to the jaws of the very creatures that now laid dead on the ground flashed within their faces.

Among the group, some remained still as others began to get teary-eyed. The frowns slowly turned into smiles and an indescribable sense of joy began to spread among everyone before suddenly erupting into a massive cheer.

"We won! ! !"

Most students rose their fists and weapons as high into the air as they could and shouted their victory while others wrapped arms around each other in a jolly way and some even cried from happyness.

Not only did they avenge their fallen friends, but they also managed to drive back the dinosaurs, making them the ones to run away this time. Thanks to their leader's determination, everyone gained the will to fight. They stood their ground and fought. And although difficult, they were the ones to come out on top.

On this day and on this battle, the blue students became far more than just students. They became survivors.


	7. Jerico of the Redwoods

"Hmmmmmm..." Hummed Lily as she carefully focused and took a look the icons depicting the artifacts to sketch them on the last page of her sketchbook "Alright!"

Now feeling satisfied with the sketches she did of each artifact, the young woman proceeded to write down the name of each one right next to their drawing.

"Are you done?"

"Yes" Replied the young woman to the sailor while turning around to look at him and showing him her drawing

"Alright. This should do nicely" He said while looking at the sheet of paper "Good job"

"Thank you. I focused really hard" She replied with a smile, seemingly happy with her own work

"This one seems to need four artifacts instead of three and doesn't say where to find them either, but at least we have their names and a reference image"

As he looked at the sketches, Rick's eyes diverted to the next page, which had three other artifacts sketched down on it. Those were the ones they found out about back at the green obelisk, and that he asked Lily to draw on her sketchbook before they left. Hopefully, this information, although little, would eventually be of use somewhere down the line.

After giving the sketchbook back to Lily, the sailor turned his head to look at Alex, who was sitting on a rock just outside the metal circle.

"Hey, Alex! We're done over here!"

Despite his voice being loud and clear, Rick didn't receive any answer from the sportsman, who seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

"Alex!"

"Hm?" Said Alex, who seemed to have snaped out of his train of thought, while turning his head to look at them "What's wrong?"

"We're leaving!"

"Oh. Okay"

as he got up on his feet, the sportsman was faced by Alice, who was looking at him with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" She asked, the concern clear even in her tone "You looked like you were thinking really hard about something"

Not only Rick, but both Lily and Alice were also able to notice Alex's pensive state.

"No, it's nothing" He replied with a smile while placing one hand gently over the little girl's head and caressing her hair "Just thinking about how to make our way to the next obelisk"

The sportsman's words were meant to make Alice feel more at ease, but they weren't quite as effective as he probably anticipated them to be.

Ever since they left the Weathertop and made their way to the red Obelisk, Alex's mind wandered more often than not. Fortunately, it didn't inhibit his ability to fight whenever the need called for it. But even so, it didn't erase the doubts the others felt regarding his musing.

Almost a week and half went by since the large battle between the Weathertop base's students and the raptors took place. There were many wounded, but miraculously no one died during the battle or afterwards from their injuries. And not only that, but the large amount of dead raptors gave the students more than enough meat to fix their food shortage.

That very night, everyone cheered and ate like there was no tomorrow, making the dinner feel more like a feast before everyone flopped back to their beds and slept like logs, without even the slightest shred of fear in their minds to bother them.

Angela, who was by far the one to suffer the largest amount of injury, eventually woke up the following day. And it took at least three extra days before she could get out of her bed and move around, although slowly and with a stick to support herself for the time being, but she was alive. That's what truly mattered to her and to the students.

"So you're really leaving?" Asked Sally

"Yeah"

On the sixth day, Alex's group made up their mind to leave for the red obelisk. And once they finished packing up and stocked up on water and food to last them for at least a few days, Angela went along with Milly and Sally to see them off on the entrance.

"Are you sure about this?" Asked the blue flower while looking at them "I'm certain no one here would mind having you around for a few more days if you want"

"It's okay. We all agreed on it" Replied the sailor with a calm expression

"Yeah...We want to try and find a way to get eveyone out of this place as soon as we can" Added Alex with a smile before turning his head to look at Max, his expression changing into a more worried one as he stared at the young man who was waiting a few feet away from them "Besides. The longer we wait, the worst things may get..."

"(Alex...)"

Both Angela and Lily knew very well the sportsman wasn't referring only to the situation on the island, but to Max as well.

Although the young woman nor the blue flower told him about Max's phobia, he was already able to tell by himself that the young man's mind was in a worse state than he anticipated, and that it would only get worse with time if left alone.

"Well. One way or the other, the only thing we can do right now is find out as much as we can about this place" Said Alex while turning his head to look at Angela again, this time with a smile "After we find a way, we'll come back here and share it with you"

Looking at the sportsman's face made the blue flower and the young woman feel more relieved. As troubled as he might feel right now, Alex's expression showed he was confident there would be a way to make things go back to normal and to help Max.

"Don't bother bringing HIM back while you're at it" Said Milly with her arms crossed and eyes closed

Everyone's gazes diverted toward's the redhead. It took no effort for any of them to realize she was referring to the young man.

"You guys can come back if you want, but no one here wants to see him again"

"He-Hey, Milly!" Said Sally with a slightly anxious tone "That's a horrible thing to say!"

Alex and Lily also felt like the redhead was saying some rather nasty things, but it would be difficult to say she was wrong. Even if she was exaggerating things a bit, there was still some truth in her words

Despite having helped in his own way, Max's contributions to the battle went by unseen by the Weathertop students, which made everyone think of him as a coward that chickened out when push came to shove. And while not everyone wanted him to leave and never come back as badly as Milly did, most of them did have a similar mindset.

Angela was not okay with this, however. Her determination as a leader was renewed due to his words making her see the reality of the world around them and he even saved her life while she was unconscious, according to Lily and Rick's words. If anything, she was indebted to him.

"Well, that's all I wanted to say" Said Milly while turning around and leaving "Don't go getting killed out there"

"Wait, Milly!"

"Let her go, sally" Said Angela while turning her head to look at the twintail-haired girl "We can't do anything to change the way she feels. At least not for now"

"Angela..."

"I'm sorry about her" Added the blue flower while turning her head to look at him

"Don't worry" Replied the sailor while looking at her "It can't really be helped, can it?"

"I guess so..."

"Well, I guess it's time to get going" Said Alex, who wanted to try and lift up the mood a bit "The more hours of sunlight we have, the sooner we can get there"

"Before you go, I'd like to ask you a favor"

"Go ahead"

"Since we managed to survive the shipwreck, it's only safe to assume that many other students from the other schools survived it as well" Explained the blue flower "Among them, there's one in particular that I'd like you to find if possible. Her name is Dahlia Uchenyy"

"Dahlia?"

"Yes...She's the white school's flower and an extremely intelligent scholar. So much that people nicknamed her "the flower of wisdom"" She replied while nodding "Not only would her vast amount of knowledge help greatly to figure out the mistery behind the towers, but I'm convinced that she would be capable of helping Max as well"

Alex's expression changed into one of surprise when hearing this. Part of him hoped that there might be someone in the island that could help Max, kind of like a doctor, but he never imagined the solution would appear in front of him as a fellow student.

"Seeing how unforgiving this place can be, it's possible that she may have already died, but it's also possible she formed a group with the other students just like we did"

"I see...I'll look into it"

And with those words, Alex's group left for the red obelisk. All the while his mind kept thinking about the name of this person over and over again.

"(Dahlia Uchenyy...)" Thought the sportsman, now in present time, as he and his group walked through the forest

True to Angela's words, the chances of the white flower being dead surpassed the chances of her being alive, but she was by far the best bet he had right now.

After temporarily stoping at a small lake to gather water, Alex and Rick discussed about the path they'd take now while Lily and Alice filled the water bottles and waterskins. And Max, obviously, handled his own resources.

"Okay..." Said the sailor while looking towards the direction of the blue obelisk. The structure itself not visible due to the trees, but the pillar of blue light ascending high into the skies was still easy to see

"It seems like we can just keep going in a straight line to reach the next tower if we follow the beachline" Said the sailor while looking at the pillar of light with one hand over his eyebrows to keep the sunlight from getting in the way "Although it seems to be really far away"

"How long do you think it'll take us to get there?"

"Probably a couple of days, maybe even a more than a week if we have to circle through any large obstacles like a large river or animal packs"

"Damn it..."

"Uwahhh!"

While both of them tried to figure how long their journey to the blue obelisk would take, their attention was suddenly taken away by Lily's yell.

"Lily!?"

When turning their head to look at her, they saw the young woman and Alice hugging eachother as a four-legged dinosaur with an arching head crest and a duck bill was right next to them.

"Lily!"

Both the sportsman and sailor quickly ran towards them with their weapons in hand, but were suddenly stopped. Not by the dinosaur, but by the young woman herself.

"Please wait, yout two! Stop! Stop!"

"H-Huh?"

The two of them stopped right away, although neither was sure why would Lily want them to do so, especially when they were trying to help her. It was just a few seconds later that they realized the reason why.

The dinosaur wasn't attacking the two women. It didn't even seem to be paying attention to them. All it did was submerge its mouth into the lake and peacefully drink from it without a care in the world.

"So this one's a herbivore?" Said Alex while looking at the four-legged animal and taking a more calmed stance

"It seems so" Replied Rick, who also put his weapon away to avoid agitating it "There's probably a herd of them somewhere nearby and this one wandered off to get a drink"

"Huh..."

The four of them looked at the herbivore drinking from the lake in silence for a moment longer before Lily suddenly had an idea and decided to rummage through her bag.

"Where was it?" She mumbled to herself while searching inside for a few seconds "Ah! Found it!"

Once she finally found what she was looking for, the young woman pulled it out of her sidebag. It was a small leather bag wrapped close with a little string, much like the one Max had on himself.

"What's that?" Asked Alex while looking at her

"It's a pouch of berries. Angela gave it to me before leaving as a gift"

Lily loosened the string to open the bag and took a handful of purple berries from within it, which she then extended towards the duck billed dinosaur. It took a moment or so, but the herbivore turned its head towards her in curiosity.

"Yes, it's for you" Said the young woman with a gentle tone, trying to make it be less wary of her "Go ahead. You don't need to worry"

The herbivore approached slowly at first, then took a couple of sniffs from the berries before finally eating them from her hand. After it ate the first handful, Lily put the bag down and took another handful before offering it once more. This time, the herbivore went in without any hesitation.

Out of mere impulse, the young woman slowly approached her other hand towards the dinosaur and caressed the side of it's head. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to mind the affectionate touch, or even the very idea of being touched, as for that matter.

"Good dino"

"He's actually eating them..."

"More imporantly. She's touching it..."

Alex and Rick were surprised, not by the herbivore eating berries, but by the fact it was calmly eating them off of a human's hands, and while having that very human touch it too.

It wasn't unheard of for wild animals to accept food or even affection from humans, but such things usually take years of domestication. Just the simple act of offering food is something that takes a long time or requires the animal in question to be in a desperate situation. Yet, this herbivore accepted both right away.

"(Even the animals feel out of place here...)" Thought Rick to himself while looking at the scene taking place in front of him.

As someone who received survival training in case of shipwrecks, the sailor had some knowledge about animals in the wild. He was taught that herbivores could be either extremely shy and prone to running away or violent if approached carelessly depending on the animal itself, and that carnivores were usually wary of humans and would in most cases attack to defend their territory, usually preferring much larger, nutritious and better known prey instead. Yet, everything he saw so far defied that logic.

The herbivores would usually ignore them and move on with their business, even if approached and only getting violent when directly attacked, and the carnivores actively attacked humans on the spot wheter it was their territory or not. It was almost as if every animal in the island was so accustomed to seeing humans that they were just an everyday sight to them at this point.

"Hey, Alice. Do you want to try and touch it too?"

"A-Are you sure?"

For children, dinosaurs were nothing short of dream-like beasts. Alice, who was still hiding behind Lily, wasn't exactly a child, though. And actually seeing a dinosaur right in front of you was very different from dreaming about one, so probably even a child would have second thoughts about approaching such a large creature.

"Of course I'm sure!" Said Lily while trying to sound encouraging her "It's really hard and scaled, but it's not slimy or anthing like that. It kind of feels like touching a rubber tire, or a very soft and fleshy tree"

"Just how exactly is a rubber tire similar to a fleshy tree?" Asked the sailor while looking at the young woman and sweat dropping "More importantly, what even IS a fleshy tree to begin with?"

"That's really simple!" She replied while looking at him "It's one of those trees that have big, fleshy fruit coming out of them!"

"That's a FOOD tree, not a FLESHY tree"

Amidst this conversation that tried to make sense out of a rather odd comparison, Alice leaned a bit to the side in order to get a better look at the herbivore. In the end, her fear slowly got drowned out by curiosity. Lily was quick to notice this change in her and took a third handful of berries from the bag. But this time, she gave them to Alice instead, who stood in front of her and slowly extanded her hands forward.

The herbivore seemed to notice the one feeding him changed, but he didn't seem to mind either, as he approached Alice's hands and ate without any hesitation. This sudden approach took the little girl by surprise, but it didn't scare her as much as she thought it would.

She looked at the dinosaur eating for a moment before slowly trying to touch it in the same way as Lily. Her small hand gently caressing the large lizard's yellow-ish skin

"You're right...It does feel like rubber..." Said Alice, who found this odd fact so amusing it made her smile.

"It does, right!?" Replied the young woman with a happy expression, feeling glad the little girl agreed with her.

The sight was a surprising, but welcomed one.

Whenever Alice smiled, she was doing it mostly to avoid worrying those around her, so seeing her smile out of genuine enjoyment was a good morale boost for everyone in the group. And all of it thanks to Lily.

"(These two are really starting to get along with each other, aren't they?)" Thought Alex, who felt relieved by this developing bond of trust between the two women.

Everyone could do with a bit of comforting right now, but Alice was the one who needed it the most.

Despite her mature and polite behavior, Alice lacked the physical skill or the mental fortitude to survive by herself in this hostile environment. Without Alex, Rick and Lily, she would have died within less than a day, and the worst part of it was that she was well aware of this fact, and she simply hid these feelings of impotence of having little to no chance of fixing this under a smile to keep herself from turning into a burden.

"By the way, what kind of dinosaur is this?"

"Beats me..."

"I think I know" Said Lily, who recalled one of her classmates drawing this precise animal once "I think it was called...erm..."

The young woman took a moment of pensive thought to try and recall the words written on the drawing she saw before one word finally came to her head.

"Duckusaurus!"

A short moment of silence went by as both men looked at her in disbelief, neither of them sure of what to say.

"Lily...I know next to nothing about dinosaurs and even I think the word you just said made whoever named this thing want to roll up in his grave"

"But it does look like a duckface"

"Wait...Duckface?"

"Yeah" Replied Lily while nodding "I mean, just look at it. Doesn't it's face look a lot like that weird face everyone makes when taking pictures?"

Both men looked at the duck billed dinosaur for a moment or two while trying to find any semblance to the facial expression. And Alex, who was more used to seeing it during school, noticed it first.

"Now that she mentions it, this guy really does look like it's making a duckface..." He said, trying to hold back the urge to laugh.

"Is it really THAT funny?" Asked Rick while looking at him and sweat dropping.

As the conversation went on, Max's eyes turned to look at the group's cheerful moment from a fair distance. His gaze focused on them as they kept enjoying themselves, or rather, focused on Alice, who was at the center of all the cheer.

Seeing her smile didn't bring any happiness to the young man, though. On the opposite, this scene made his expression change into a sullen one. The only one who didn't fail to notice this was Wilson, yet the bird was unable to understand why would seeing Alice happy cause him to make such an expression.

Not long afterwards, Alex's group said goodbye to the herbivore and resumed their journey through the forests. The journey remaining calm and uneventful for a few hours before they made a rather alarming discovery.

"Wha...What the hell?"

Deep within the forest, they found the corpse of a carnotaurus. At this point everyone was more or less getting used to seeing dead dinosaur bodies, but what made this particular one so horrifying was the grisly state it was in.

The corpse was covered with very large slice wounds all over, some of them large and deep enough to make the bones underneath, which were also badly injured, clear to see. Large amounts of blood poured out of all the injuries and bathed the body in a deep red as they flowed down into the grass, forming a pool around it.

"How horrible..." Said Lily, who was feeling a mixture of horror and pity for the dead Carnotaurs, almost unable to look at the corpse any longer

"What the hell happened to this thing?"

"It seems to have been attacked by something larger than it with claws..." Answered Rick after approaching the dead Carnotaurus and kneeling down to take a closer look at the injuries for a moment or two "And extremely large ones at that"

"Man...This is gruesome, even for an animal"

"I don't see any missing flesh or bitemarks, though. So whatever attacked this guy, it didn't do it for food"

"So you're saying it wasn't a carnivore?"

"Carnivores aren't the only dangerous animals"

"What do you mean?"

Alex asked right away, but received no answer from Rick. The sailor seemed more focused on the dead body, and that focus remained the same for a moment or two before he finally broke the silence.

"Either way, we should hurry up and keep moving" He said while getting back up and looking around him "The blood is still fresh, so whatever killed it is probably still close-"

As he looked at his surroundings, the sailor stoped almost inmediately when facing one specific direcction. His eyes widening as he broke a cold sweat.

The sportsman was confused at first, but all doubts quickly faded away as he and the rest of the group turned their heads to look in the same direction and saw the massive creature just a few feet away.

At first look it was mostly lizard-like in appearance, but it also had thick feathers covering most of its body. It was much larger than the Carnotaurus, had a long neck and walked using two legs, but the most unsettling feature this creature had were the tree nightmarishly large scythe-like claws it had on each hand at the end of the fingers, which right now it used to bring down the leaves from the trees and eat them. A deep hue of blood covered these pitch-black claws, dripping down from them and into the floor.

"Holy shit..."

The creature remained focused on eating the leaves for a few moments longer before finally diverting its gaze to them. Its eyes focused on Alex for a second or so before suddenly clawing at him.

"Whoa!?"

Thanks to his reflexes, the sportsman managed to step back just in the nick of time, dodging the razor-sharp claws by inches.

"Shit! Run!"

As the feathered herbivore approached them with an aggresive roar, everyone quickly turned around and ran away. It was by far the only plausible choice, as none of their weapons would be able to bring down such a creature without making them go down with it in the process.

The dinosaur's slow speed fortunately allowed everyone to keep some distance and made dodging the claws easier, but at the same time it was also fast enough to keep up, making it very difficult to outrun.

"Look out!"

A flurry of claw attacks came at Alex and the others as they ran, slicing down trees it hit like a hot knife through butter and making them crumble down as he went past them.

"U-Uwaaahhhh!"

"Don't stop running!" Yelled Rick to those around him "If those claws get you, you're done for!"

Max, Rick and the sailor were able to keep up without any problem, and Lily, although already showing signs of losing her breath, was able to run steadily thanks to the rush of adrenaline caused by fear. Alice, on the other hand, wouldn't be able to keep up much longer due to her shorter legs and lower stamina making this chase far more taxing on her body. Fortunately for her, the sportsman didn't fail to notice this and quickly took a hold of her, carrying her in his arms shortly before she could run out of breath.

"Hey, Rick! This thing was eating leaves before!" Asked Alex while turning his head to look at Rick "Shouldn't that mean it's a herbivore!?"

"Yeah!"

"Then why is it attacking us all of a sudden!? Aren't herbivores supposed to be the friendly ones!?"

"Actually, it's the other way around! Herbivores can be far more vicious than carnivores!" Replied the sailor with his gaze still focused forward "Elephants and hippopotamuses are known to attack and kill people on sight even without being provoked"

"Does that mean we're gonna die!?"

"No one's going to die, Alice!"

The group kept running as fast as they could, eventually making it out of the forest and into a grassland before their path ended on a steep cliff.

"Shit!"

"What do we do now!?"

The path behind them was blocked by the vicious herbivore, and the chances of circling around him without getting sliced to pieces were very slim. The other option would be to jump into the river beneath, but it was quite a long fall, or at least long enough to make them feel hesitant. But it didn't take long for Max to be the first one to take a leap and jump down.

"Max!?"

Everyone looked at him as he fell down and went into the water, then surfacing shortly after and swimming to the other side of the river with Wilson at his side.

"No other choice, I guess!" Said Rick before following the young man's example and jumping down into the river.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit!" Said Alex in a panic while diverting his gaze between the cliff and the bird coming at them before finally making a decision "Hold on tight, you two!"

"Wa-Wait! I don't-!" Replied Lilt before Alex suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her off the edge of the cliff with him, making both of them fall down after Rick and dodging the hervibore's last attack by inches.

The young woman and the sportsman yelled all the way down until both of them finally landed on the water. It was a longer fall than expected, but fortunately no one died.

"U-Uwahhhhh! Help me!" Said Lily while struggling in the water "I don't know how to swim!"

"Seriously!?"

Neither Alex or Rick expected this slight setback, but they quickly solved it by making the sailor carry her to the shore while the sportsman followed behind them with Alice on his back.

Once everyone reached the shore, Lily laid down on the shore and Alice got off of Alex's back while both Rick and Max looked at the herbivore still standing on the edge of the cliff. Unlike them, it didn't jump. Instead, it simply looked at them intently.

"It's...It's not following us?" Said Alex, who was now looking at it as well while catching his breath

"He's probably scared of jumping, or the water" Replied the sailor before turning around "Either way, we should keep moving before he changes his mind"

Everyone agreed with the sailor's decision and resumed the journey, this time taking a detour into the forest of gigantic trees.

"Waaaaaaauw...These trees are huge!" Said Lily while looking at the massive trees all around them, her head held so high she was almost looking right above her

"They're almost like wooden skyscrapers" Added the sportsman, who was surprised by their massive size as well

"Don't go getting too distracted. We have no idea what's lurking aorund here"

As the group kept moving, the forest became thicker and slightly darker, giving it a calmer, but also more eerie feeling at the same time. Everyone kept moving forward before seeing Max, who was a few feet in front of them, suddenly stop.

"Max?" Asked Alex "What's wrong?"

The young man didn't respond. His ears were focused on listening to his surroundings, and his eyes on looking around as well, searching for anything out of place. This search eventually led his gaze to a pile of dirt just a few feet away. At first nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary, but Max's gut was telling him otherwise. He kept staring at the pile of dirt before his eyes suddenly noticed it. It took some focus, and it was only for a second, but he clearly saw the pile of dirt shuddering.

In a split second, Max quickly took a hold of Wilson and leaped sideways. Just in time to avoid the large weasel-like animal that suddenly jumped out into the open from underneath the dirt and went towards him at an alarming speed, almost as if it was flying instead of jumping.

"Look out!"

Alex's group was taken by surprise, but they had an easier time dodging thanks to being further away from the ambush.

"Uwahhhhh!"

The moment it landed on the ground, the weasel ran towards Max again and lounged at him. The young man dodged once again and then tossed Wilson away, making the bird land far away enough from the fight to remain safe from the inmediate treat, before holding his spear with both hands. Rick and Alex took a hold of their weapons as well and jumped into the fight.

Despite having a numerical advantage, the animal's superior speed made it difficult to hit. And his jaws proved to be just as fast, since it constantly leaped at the trio while aiming at the neck or the shoulders, forcing them to dodge.

On one such jump, the weasel managed to get a hold of Alex's spear, breaking it with its jaws like a twig before getting on top of him and forcing him down to the floor.

"Alex!"

The sportsman used his forearms to press against the weasel's neck, keeping the sharp jaws at bay.

"(So strong! This thing is way too strong!)" He thought while feeling the incredible strength of his assailant weighting down on him.

Max quickly took a hold of his bow and an arrow, but a different arrow flew out of nowhere and hit the animal right in the eye before he could even have a chance to shoot.

"(What!?)"

The weasel yelled in pain and fell off to the side while squirming, giving Alex a chance to get up and get away. At the same time, a flying lizard with a round head flew past them and landed on the weasel before violently gnawing at its neck. Blood poured like a waterfall as the flyer's powerful jaws bit down on the flesh and riped it out, effectively destroying the weasel's throat within seconds and giving a fast, yet painful death.

Once its prey stopped moving, the small flyer finished eating the flesh it already bit on before spreading its wings and taking flight as the trio looked at it.

"Are you okay, Alex?"

"Ye-yeah..." Replied the sportsman, a mixture of surprise and confusion his tone, while turning his head to look at Rick

Alex was confused as to why that animal suddenly attacked the weasel, but he also felt thankful for Max's well aimed shot.

"Thanks, man. I owe you one" He said while turning his head once again to look at Max, who was still focused on the flying lizard.

"No...That arrow wasn't mine..." Replied the young man, whose stare was still focused on the lizard as it circled around the dead weasel

"Huh?"

"Everyone! Behind you!" Yelled Lily shortly after Wilson's shrieking

When hearing the young woman's warning and the bird's cry of danger, the trio quickly turned around with their weapons ready and saw a man with a crossbow standing on top of a fallen tree trunk. He seemed to be in his early twenties, had a lean body and clear brown skin, along with black and smooth shoulder length hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a hunter hat and a brown open vest with three buttons along with two bands, each one on his biceps and both displaying a native-american pattern similar to the one on the back of the vest. He also wore cloth pants with a hide belt that had both a pouch on the left side and a quiver filled with arrows on the back along with hide boots.

The trree men looked at the one on the top of the trunk, ready for a possible confrontation, while the latter calmly placed his free hand on his hat and raised it slightly, showing them his face more clearly.

"Howdy!" He said with a cheery tone and smile shortly before the flying lizard gently descended and perched itself on his shoulder "The name's Jerico. Welcome to the Redwoods"

*Scene*

Everyone walked through the forest as they followed Jerico, who was leading them to his base.

"But boy, am I glad to see some friendly folk around here" Said the cowboy-ish man with a cheery tone while walking "Usually the most company I get beyond Torito and the folk back at the base here are the critters of this forest trying to eat my face off"

"Hey...Jerico, right?"

"Ah...Sorry, got kind of distracted for a moment there" He replied while turning his head to look at Jerry "What's the matter?"

"Earlier you called this place "the Redwoods", didn't you?"

"That's right. I heard most folk used to call this place "Deep island", but at some point everyone decided to just call it "The Redwoods" because of the massive trees and their red-ish color"

"Wait, so there's more people on the island?" Asked Alex this time

"Yeah. There's hundreds, probably even thousands, of people spread all over the place" Replied Jerico "I've heard a guy say once that there's around 6,000 people or so living here"

This piece of information shocked the group. The cruise ship carried around 3,500 people, with around 500 of them being sudents from the four schools. And even if everyone would have survived the shipwreck, that large number still paled in comparison to the one the cowboy-ish man just gave them.

The idea that the island housed inhabitants of its own or castaway victims of other boat and plane accidents wasn't that far-fetched, but no one could have imagined there was such an overwhelming amount of survivors, and that was without even counting themselves.

"Hey, hey...I've got a question too" Said Lily while raising one hand

"Shoot"

"Is Torito the bird on your shoulder?"

"Yup. He's been my mate for as long as I can remember"

"...Can I pet him?"

"(She just saw that thing ripping another animal's throat off less than twenty minutes ago, and now wants to pet it?)" Thought the sailor while looking at the young woman and sweat dropping

"Sure! Don't see why not"w

Lily walked closer to Jerico and gently began to caress the top of Torito's head, which he seemed to enjoy.

"Oh? You've got skill with critters, lady" Said the cowboy-ish man with a surprised expression after hearing his companion's pleased sounds "Bet you'd be good at taming"

"Taming? What's that?"

"It's what folk around here call it when someone tries to domesticate a wild dino"

"Domesticate?" Asked Alex with a surprised expression "So you can domesticate these things?"

"Yeah" Replied Jerico "Not a lot of folk try it since it's really risky, but having one of these critters on your side really helps out a lot when fending off other dinos"

"I see..."

With each question answered, all the group achieved was create even more questions. But at the very least they managed to find someone capable of giving them answers. If nothing else, it was a start.

But the true question remained to be answered. Did Jerico know something about the obelisks? And if he did, then what did he know?

Rick initially thought it would be better to wait until they reached the cowboy-ish man's base to talk about it more calmly, but the question kept echoing within his head too often for him to wait any longer.

"Hey, Jerico...About those towe-"

"Hey, everyone!" Said Lily, suddenly interrupting Rick's question, while pointing at their right "What's that over there!?"

Everyone turned their heads to look at the direcction she was pointing at and saw something. A thick, black cloud emerging from within the trees as it ascended high up into the skies.

It didn't take long for everyone to realize they were looking at a column of smoke.

"A wildfire!?"

"That shouldn't be possible" Said Jerico while looking at the smoke with a stern expression "These trees are very resilient to fire, and the vegetation is spread too far appart"

"Then, what do you think it is?"

"I think I've got a clue, but it ain't a good one" He said before turning his head to look at the group "You folk should wait here. I'll go take a quick peek and check it out"

"Wait! We're going too!"

Jerico looked at Alex and Rick for a moment or two before nodding.

"Okay then. Just make sure to keep your guard up"

Both the sailor and the sportsman nodded in agreement before they followed behind the cowboy-ish man. All three of them, along with Max who chose to tag along as well, heading towards the smoke. Lily and Alice followed them as well, but made sure to keep a safe distance.

Once there, they found the source of the black column. A pile of broken wood boxes had been lit up in flames. Countless other materials such as jars, vases, leather bags and saddles were scattered around as well, some of them broken or blood-stained. Arrows and cracked spears littered the area on the dozens, some of them stuck on the ground or the trees while others had found their way into the bodies of both humans and dinosaurs alike. The dead corpses of Pharasauruses, trikes, a stego and even a few raptors lying dead on the ground. The human bodies were dressed in cloth and leather garbs. Many of the bodies alike were covered in blood and showed to have not only arrows stuck on them, but also deep piercing injuries and bitemarks.

"Damn it...They got to another convoy" Said Jacob while looking at the destruction

"What the hell happened here!?" Asked Alex with shock

"Judging by the injuries, I'd say these guys got attacked by dinosaurs" Replied Rick while taking a closer look at one of the dead trikes, then looking at the human bodies "No...It wasn't just dinosaurs..."

"What do you mean?"

"Take a look at these people"

Taking a more careful look at the bodies, Alex paid more attention to the arrows than to the bites, which arose a sudden question in his mind. A question that the sailor would answer without any need of him asking.

"Last I checked, dinosaurs don't know how to shoot arrows"

"So you're saying they got attacked by someone?"

"If they were attacked by a pack of raptors, then none of them should be having this many arrows stuck on them"

As the duo looked at the bodies, Rick truned his head to look at Jerico, who was looking at the dead people as well, but with a seemingly sadder expression.

"Anyone you know?" He asked, breaking the cowboy-ish man out of his trance

"Yeah. They're one of the tradie groups that live in the area around here" Replied Jerico while looking at the sailor, then at one of the bodies again while taking off his hat as a show of respect towards it "Can't say I was mates with them, but seeing people die like this just feels bad"

"So what do you think happened here?"

"My best guess is they got raided by someone while transporting goods"

"Raided? So there's bandits in this forest?"

"There's bandits all over the island, mate. They just tend to be more common within the deeper parts of the forest areas like this one" Replied Jerico "Usually they only attack every now and then, but lately they've been getting even more vicious"

"What the hell..." Said Alex while looking at the dead traders "First the dinos, and now this?"

Alex was at a loss for words. The struggle to survive against the dinosaurs was already difficult enough, but for people to kill each other like this instead of trying to gang up and survive together was just plain horrible. He just couldn't understand the reasoning behind the minds of these bandits. Rick as well could share this disgust for the carnage, but he was able to hold himself somewhat better. Lily was horrified by this scene as well, but she did her best to endure it and focused on making sure Alice wouldn't get too much of this grisly imagery burned into her mind.

Meanwhile, Max moved around and looked at each corpse carefully until suddenly noticing something that caught his eye. One corpse sitting against a tree had a metal hatchet strapped on to his belt. It seemed to be a little worn out, but was still in a good condition. The young man approached the body and kneeled down next to it, looking at the man's face more closely for a moment or two before being certain he was dead, then carefully reached out for the metal hatchet and took it. He looked at the metal tool for a moment, then at the body once again.

The situation taking place suddenly caused him to remember how he got his bow, and this in turn made a nauseous feeling course within him.

"(I'm sorry, but I'll be borrowing this...)" He thought to himself while looking at the dead trader before placing the metal hatched on his own belt, getting rid of his nearly broken stone tool.

Despite the heavy feeling in his stomach, Max didn't allow himself to be weighted down by it. He knew that this was an awful thing to do, but this metal tool would most likely prove far more useful than a crude stone hatched.

The young man then proceeded to get back up on his feet and head towards the trio.

"Hey, Max. Where did you get that hatchet from?" Asked Alex, who was the first to notice his new gear

"I found it on that body over there" Replied the young man while pointing at the body just a few feet away from him

The sportsman's expression changed into one of confusion before it turned into shock.

"You...You looted it from a corpse!?"

Unlike Rick and Jerico, Alex seemed quite shaken up by this answer.

"What the hell, man!? You can't just loot a dead body like that!"

"Calm down, Alex" Said Rick while placing one hand on his shoulder "I'm not gonna deny that taking stuff from dead bodies seems like an awful thing to do, but letting gear that you could make good use of go laying there to rot is just wasteful"

"I know, but still..."

"Hey, mate. I get it that you don't like it, but looting bodies might be something you'll have to do in order to stay alive someday" Said Jerico this time, attempting to help him understand "I myself can't say I'm proud of some of the things I used to do, but I'd probably be dead right now if I didn't do them"

Alex didn't respond, he simply looked down at the floor, seemingly still struggling to come to terms with it.

"With that said, though. You need to be more mindful when looting corpses too" He added while looking at Max this time "This time it was just a few folk I hardly knew, but some people will probably get really violent if you try to take stuff from the body of someone they personally knew"

Max didn't respond either, but the look in his eyes as he stared at his hatched proved he was thinking about carefully about it. And that was something Jerico could appreciate.

"For now, we should check to see if the others have anything useful on them and leave"

"Shouldn't we bury them?"

"No time for that, mate" Replied Jerico while looking at Alex "Critters in these forests are quick to jump in when they smell fresh meat"

The sportsman was still hesitant about the whole idea of looting corpses and simply abandoning them in the wild, but Rick was quicker to give in and helped Jerico scavenge.

Both of them looked around for a short moment or two, searching the bodies scattered around the place. Many of them had been picked clean of arrows and supplies, but a few among the bunch had something hidden in their pockets.

"Did you find anything?"

"I found these" Said Rick while showing him a round navigation tool and the bamboo cilinder

"So a compass and a spyglass" He replied while looking at them "Nice. Those should be handy on the long run"

"I always thought raiders took everything that seemed handy"

"That's usually the case, but raiders tend to focus more on supplies and food than common gear like this, so they tend to miss it every now and then"

"I see..."

Rick looked at the compass's arrow moving slightly from one side to the other before his and everyone else's attention was taken away by a rather odd buzzling sound.

"Hey, everyone..." Said Lily while looking around her "What's that sound?"

"Sounds like a buzzing..." Replied Alex while looking around as well "Almost like when a fly is close to your ear..."

"Oh, strewth!" Said Jerico with an anxious expression while Torito as well seemed to grow agitated by this sound "We need to get moving!"

"Eh? Why?"

"The bugs are coming!"

"Bugs?"

The group was confused as to why bugs would be such a trouble, or at least they were until seeing an overwhelming surge of countless ants marching into the scene. What really made them threatening wasn't only their sheer numbers, but also the fact each ant was literally the size of a dog.

"Holy shit!"

"What the hell are those things!?"

"They're Titanomyrmas! They must have smelled the corpses and gathered around!" Said Jerico while quickly moving away "We have to get out of here! Now!"

Jerico's suggestion received no denial, as everyone quickly ran behind him and followed him while avoiding the ants around them. Fortunately, they were easy to avoid thanks to their slow movement speed, and most of them seemed more focused on the corpses, which posed a much easier prey.

As everyone got away from the scene, Max took one last look over his shoulder and looked at the corpse sitting against the tree. Just like with all other corpses, the Titanomyrmas began to climb on top of him and devoured him. The dozens of small bites tearing through clothing and flesh alike like a plague. After getting too far to get a clear view, the young man turned his head to look forward again.

"Alright, I think we should be okay now..." Said Jerico while looking back, then at the group again "Come on, we're almost there"

With the inmediate threat now gone, everyone resumed their journey with a slightly faster step. And true to Jerico's words, the group came across something unexpected after a short moment or two.

High up in one of the massive trees, they saw a large structure similar to a house. But not like just a shadily made tree house. It was a genuine house made of wood and stone sitting on top of a wooden platform located high up on the tree.

"Whoa..."

"It's a giant tree house!" Said Lily, who found the idea to be amusing, with excitement

"Some of my mates like to call it treehouse base, but that works too" Replied Jerico as everyone walked closer until they were rigt under the edge of the platform, then proceeded to look at his small flying companion "You know what to do, Torito"

Torito replied with a chirp-like sound before spreading his wings and taking flight, going high up while circling around the tree before finally reaching the platform and landing within it. A few moments later, a man leaned over the edge and looked down.

"Jerico!?"

"Hey, Norman! Mind Lowering the ladder!?"

"Who are those people accompaning you!?" Asked the mysterious man, an indian tone becoming more notable this time around, as the flying lizard took flight once more and descended back to his companion's side

"It's okay, mate. They're cool!"

The man on the platform seemed slightly hesitant at first, but nonetheless complied with Jerico's request and took a step back to untie the coiled rope ladder, then allowed it to fall down the edge, uncoiling all the way down until stopping almost right in front of the group, who began to climb up one by one.

"Careful not to slip!" Said Jerico with a smile and a somewhat jokingly tone "If you fall, it ain't gonna be pretty!"

"Not funny, man!"

"You girls doing okay back there?" Asked Rick while looking down at Alice and Lily, who were below them due to their skirts making it rather troublesome to let them go first

"Uwahhhh! We're so high up!" Said Lily while looking around her with an amused expression "It's like we're birds!"

"It's okay. Heights aren't scary to me" Added Alice, who seemed confident about her lack of fear

Looking at both of them, the sailor felt like they were having no issues with climbing.

"(Guess heights aren't a problem for these two)" He thought before looking up again at Alex and sweat dropping "(Can't say the same about this one, though...)"

"I-It's okay...It's ju-just a little height..." Muttered the sportsman to himself while shivering in place "Nothing to worry a-about...Just a tiny little height..."

Unlike the two women who weren't having the slightest issue with the current situation, Alex was shaking in his boots.

This was something very few knew, but Alex held a fear of heights. He was able to supress it during most situations thanks to the surging adrenaline caused by the threat of danger, but right now there was no danger to worry about or animal to chase after them, and in turn no adrenaline to inhibit his fears.

Meanwhile, Max was slowly climbing up last with everyone else. This partly concerned Rick exactly for the same reason he and Alex began to climb before Lily and Alice. Little did the sailor know, there was no need to worry. Partly because the young man had no intention or interest to look at what was above him, but also because Wilson rested on the top of his head, making it quite difficult to raise it.

"Hey, Wilson...You do realize I could just carry you under my arm, right?" Said Max with an unamused tone while climbing up before receiving a chirp from the bird in response, which caused him to give an irritated retort "The fuck do you mean by "Just in case"!? In case for what!?"

The argument between the young man and the bird lasted all the way up to the top of the ladder.

Now with everyone safely on the platform, the indian man brought the ladder back up and secured it in place. At the same time, the group now had a chance to take a better look at him.

He seemed to be slightly older than Jerico, probably in his late twenties or early thirties, and his skin was slightly darker. He had mid lenght and slightly messy black hair along with a short, yet notable matching moustache/goatee combination along with thick eyebrows. In terms of physical appearance, he was skinnier and slightly shorter than the cowboy-ish man. His outfit consisted mostly of a shirt, pants and shoes made of cloth, similar to the ones worn by the traders they found earlier.

"Are you okay, Alex?" Asked Alice, who noticed the sportsman wasn't doing all to well

"Yeah...Yeah...I'm okay!" He replied rather quickly while taking deep breaths with both hands on his knees and his head lowered "I'm completely fine...There's no need to worry about me!"

"If you're really that scared of heights, we could have just camped at the base of the tree, you know?" Said Rick while looking at the sportsman and sweat dropping

"I'm afraid that ain't a good idea, mate" Interrupted Jerico "The forest seems bad now, but it gets even worse at night...All kind of nasty critters come out to hunt"

"So that's why you built a base on top of a tree?"

"Yup"

"Hey, Jerico. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It's all fine, Norman. They ain't the nasty type of folk" Replied the cowboy-ish man while turning to look at his companion "Torito likes them too, so I'm sure It'll be fine"

Norman took a moment to look at the group before looking at him again.

"Well...If you say so, Jerico" Replied the skinny man, sounding less concerned about the group due to his companion's words "I'll trust you on this one, my friend"

"Thanks, mate. I appreciate it" Said Jerico with a smile "So, anything new happened while I was out?"

"Well, we did spot some smoke on the distance earlier, but nothing beyond that"

"Oh, that..."

"You saw it too?"

"Yeah. We went to check it out on the way here" Replied the cowboy-ish man "Those bogans got Moreno's convoy"

"Oh, dear...Those poor people..." Said the skinny man with his head lowered and a sadder expression

"For the time being, let's go inside. I'll go check out Moreno's base tomorrow and see if I can find something useful"

"Very well..." Said Norman before turning to look at Alex's group "My apologies for the late introduction. I am Norman, this base's cook...For the time being, please follow me inside"

Everyone followed Norman and Jerico inside without much discussion. The inside was surprisingly spacious, despite the massive tree in the center taking quite a lot of space in the center. It was two floors and each divided into three rooms each. One was a crafting room filled with pestles and mortars lined up on the table, along with a table in particular that was right next to an anvil and had quite a few tools laying on top of it, along with many boxes and shelves to store materials in. The second room was something similar a dinning hall with a few standing torches on the edge and a large table on the center with around half a dozen chairs around it, and a few extra ones lying stored on the edge of the room. The third and last room seemed to be a kitchen, as there was also a table in the center, but this one had knives, a wooden cutting board, a few jars and pots and even a rolling pin on top of it. There was also a pitch black baking oven with a pipe leading through a hole in the wall, a handmill, a small wooden bin that seemed to resemble a refrigerator, a fruit press and a stone oven with a cauldron on top of it. It was a surprisingly well equipped room, if anything else. And the sweet smell of freshly baked bread lingered in the air.

"Wow..." Said Alex while looking at all the tools and equipment used for the sake of preparing food

"Ohhhh! This room smells really tasty!"

"Ah, yes. This, my friends, is where I do my magic!" Said Norman with a pleased tone

"When you said you were a cook, I didn't think you meant a literal chef" Said Rick while looking around him.

"There's very few settlements around these woods because of the aggressive wildlife, so many people instead just gang up in small specialized groups and trade goods among each other to scrape by" Replied Jerico while turning his head to look at the sailor "The specialty of these guys is cooking ingredients and food in general"

"I see..."

"Curry muncher here might not look like it, but he can make you fit as a Malley Bull"

"Curry muncher?" Asked Lily while looking at him with a confused expression "What's that?"

"Because I'm Indian, Jerico usually refers to me by that nickname" Explained Norman with a somewhat weak smile

"I'm pretty sure that's at least slightly racist" Said Rick while sweat dropping

"I can't really say it's the fanciest of names, but I know Jerico means good in his words" Replied the indian man "Besides, I've been called way worse over the years"

"Then, can I call you curry muncher too?" Aksed the young woman with honest and somewhat innocent curiosity

"No" Replied both Rick and Norman almost right away

After checking out the kitchen, Jerico led the group to the dinning room, where they encountered three people discussing about something. One was a white man with black hair and mutton chops, blue eyes and was dressed in cloth. The second man was instead dressed in a full set of hide except for the hands and head. He seemed to be older and slightly fatter, with his balding brown hair mostly gone on the top, remaining only on the sides and the back and a thicker, yet tidy moustache.

The third one, on the other hand, seemed to be more on the muscular side. He had also white skin, green eyes and brown short hair hidden under a hide hat. Along with his hide clothing, he was also wearing gloves and a chest piece made of a hard shell-like material. Just looking at them made Alex and Rick be reminded of the shells of the scorpions who wandered around the beaches.

"So you're back, Jerico"

"Yup"

"How was the hunt?"

"Sorry guys, I couldn't get much today"

"Hey, hey! Who are these people!?" Asked the third man, who was the first to notice them behind the door frame.

"Oh, right" Replied Jerico, whose concentration seemed to slip away for a moment there, before taking a step sideway to let his group take a better look at Alex and the others "I found these folk while I was out hunting"

"And you had to bring them here!?"

"Ease up a bit, Eddy. They're just a bunch of kids" Replied the cowboy-ish man while turning his head to look at Rick, then at his own group again "Well...Not all of them are kids, but you get the idea"

"Doesn't change the fact we don't know jack shit about them!" Snarled Eddy, who seemed to get irritated by Jerico's carefree reply "How do you know they're not with those damn raiders!?"

"Hey, buddy. Tone it down a bit, will you?" Interrupted Rick while taking a step forward "I don't know what your problem is, but we didn't do anything to you"

"The hell was that, you bastard!?"

Eddy got up from his seat, but he was quickly intercepted by the two people sitting with him, who were forced to get in front of him to keep a brawl from starting.

"He-Hey, Eddy! Calm down!" Said the balding one

"Seriously, man! You need to stop lashing out at other people like that!" Added the man with a mutton chop beard, who had a notable southern accent while taking a hold of him "Do you want to trash the dinning room again!?"

The angered man kept struggling for a moment or two before finally calming down. Or at least losing the desire to start throwing punches.

"Please, Eddy. There is no need to be so aggressive" Said Norman while looking at him "If your concern is food, then you should know we have more than enough to feed twice the amount of people here for months. And besides, Jerico himself was the one to bring them here, so I'm sure they're not bad people"

"Fine, do whatever you want..."

And with those words, Eddy calmed down and sat down again, letting a more peaceful mood return.

"Well, now that that's resolved, how about we have dinner together?" Aked Jerico while turning his head to look at Alex's group "Bet you've got lots of questions to ask, but I'm sure we can solve that while eating"

Alex's group seemed slightly hesitant at first, but rejecting his invitation after he let them into his base would be rude. And besides, all the running and fighting made them work up quite an appetite, so they decided to accept and have their questions answered while sharing dinner with Jerico and the traders.

*Scene*

"Hmmmm! So goood!" Said Lily, whose eyes were almost in tears, while taking a bite out of a biscuit "This is sooooo good!"

"They're really good, mister!" Added Alice, who was also delighted by the taste to the point of her eyes almost sparkling "I didn't think I'd get to eat something this good on this island!"

"I'm really glad you enjoy them, girls" Said Norman, who felt pleased by the positive feedback "Biscuits are one of my few specialties, and they're quite simple to make as well. So if you wish for more, don't hesitate to ask"

"Yes!" Replied both girls with cheerfulness

"Huh...So you guys were also among the students in a vacation trip, and your ship got wrecked during a storm?" Asked Jerico, who seemed to be growing interested in the story

While eating together with Jerico's group, or rather. Alex and his group were eating with Jerico's group while Max sat by himself on a chair on the corner of the room, quietly eating the spare cooked meat he had left in his backpack.

"Yeah, but it wasn't a normal storm" Replied Alex, while digging his fork into the served piece of coocked meat "At first everything was calm, but then the sky darkened all of a sudden and waves began hit the boat like crazy"

"It wasn't like any storm I ever saw before" Added Rick, who was holding a wooden glass on his right hand while recalling that day "Storms tend to be more intense and commonplace in the ocean than on the mainland, but a storm that powerful shouldn't happen in the atlantic Ocean, at least not so close to the path our ship was taking, and certainly not as suddenly as this one did"

"Let me guess the rest..." Interrupted Eddy, who seemed to have been calmly listening so far "After shit went south, some sort of supernatural stuff like the sky beginning to crack like an egg happened and a blinding light engulfed you all before you guys woke up all spread out through the island"

Alex's group looked at him with shocked expression for a moment or two before finally one broke the silence.

"How did you-?"

"Same thing happened to all of us too, or at least something similar" Replied Harold, who was the man with muton chops, while cutting off Alex's question "As far as I know, pretty much everyone in the island ended up stranded here in a similar fashion"

"Usually people tell you they were either on a plane, a boat or just somewhere away from towns doing this or that, but everyone agrees on the sky suddenly cracking open and the blinding light sucking them in" Added Jeff, who was the older man "I even heard from one man that him and his entire village got taken by the flashing lights"

"And no one knows what it is?" Asked Rick while looking at them

"Everyone's memories seem to go foggy after being engulfed by the lights, so no one here is really sure about what they are" Replied Jerico this time "One thing in particular all folk seem to recall before waking up is hearing a voice asking them if they seek life and why"

"Now that you mention it, I did have a weird dream about a voice before waking up on this place for the first time" Said Alex, who suddenly recalled this dream he initially brushed aside as a side effect of the shipwreck

"Me too" Added Lily, who seemed slightly worried about this

"Same with me"

"Everyone has that same dream at first. No one really knows who's the voice or why it even asks that"

"I bet it's some sort of alien overlord"

"Again with little green men bullshit, Jeff?" Said Harold while looking at him with an unamused expression

"But it has to be!" Replied the balding man while quickly looking at him "I mean, just think about it! How else could you explain all the insanely advanced technology like the supply drops and the floating obelisks!? Or even all the people getting snatched accross time!?"

"Time?"

"Oh, yeah. That's the crazy thing about it" Said the cowboy-ish man while turning his head to look at Rick and Alex "Not only are the people here taken from all over the planet, but also from different time periods"

The revelation shocked everyone. Even Max seemed shocked by this unexpected piece of information.

"That's impossible!"

"I know it sounds hard to believe, my friends, but it's true" Replied Norman "I, for example, used to work producing and supplying spices back in 1906 before the ship carrying me from India to England got struck by the lights, just in the same way as yours"

"I used to be a farmer working in the boonies back in 1942 until I got lost in the woods after a night of drinking and got snatched" Added Harold

"And I was out in the mountains searching for traces of bigfoot before getting abducted too...If I remember right, the year was 1983 or so" Added Jeff

"The-Then...how long have you guys been here!?" Asked Alex, who was still struggling to process this

"Hard to tell. Getting chased around by dinos usually makes you lose track of time, but I'm pretty sure none of us has been here for longer than six years" Replied Harold "Jerico, though. I think he's been here for way longer"

"13 years, to be exact" Added the cowboy-ish man, who didn't seem all that bothered about it

"And what about you? Where did you get taken from?"

"1871" Replied Jerico calmly and with a smirk "I got snatched after running away from my tribe and getting lost in the desert when I was twelve. I guess you can say I lived almost my entire life in this place"

The group was in utter disbelief at this. But then again, they had seen many things that did little to no sense so far. And judging by the large amount of extinct animals from different eras, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to imagine whoever was responsible for this place had some sort of time travel technology, and that same technology could be used to capture humans as well.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something for a while now, Jerico" Asked Rick, who seemed calmer than the rest

"Shoot"

"After telling you what happened, you said "You were also among the students" right away" Explained the sailor "Does that mean you already met other students?"

"Yeah, I usually sign up to go with some tradies and convoys every now and then or just go out hunting, so I travel a lot. And lately I've seen a lot of kids dressed in the same garb as you guys hanging out with the smaller tribes or traveling around" Replied Jerico before pointing at Alex "Just the other day I met with a group of around thirty students or so while I was out hunting. Most of them were dressed in the same green uniform as you, and they were being led by a chick too"

"Who?"

"It was a really well-mannered, good-looking blondie...I think her name was Amelia"

When hearing the name of the woman leading the green students, Alex's eyes widened in surprise.

"Amelia is alive!?" Said the sportsman, a relieved smile forming on his face

"Isn't that great, Alex?" Said Lily while looking at him with a smile

"Yeah, it really is!"

Everyone in Alex's group looked happy by the confirmation of one of their fellow students still being alive, but while looking at the sportsman, Lily's eyes diverted towards Max, and her happyness quickly faded away after noticing his expression.

Unlike everyone else, the young man didn't seem happy at all about the news. Quite the opposite actually.

His skin grew pale like paper and he began to sweat profusely. His expression was a bit difficult to discern at first, but it didn't take long for her to see the terror in his face. It reminded her of the expression he made back when she triggered his Haphephobia by touching him in the shoulder, but this time it seemed far more intense. And even from this distance, she could tell his body was shivering hard enough to make even the chair he was sitting on shake.

More than happy about it, Max looked like just the mere mention of Amelia's name caused his blood to freeze from sheer terror. And it didn't take long for this terror to make him suddenly get up, causing everyone to look at him with confusion.

"Max?"

Without saying a single word, the young man quickly made his way to the front door. His mind not even thinking for a second about those who were looking at him.

"Hey, Max! Wait!"

Alex got up from his seat and went after him, managing to reach him just as he took a hold of the door handle. Shortly after being approached by both Norman and Jerico as well

"What's wrong, man?" Asked the sportsman "Why did you suddenly-"

"Outside..."

"Huh?"

"I'm going to sleep outside..."

"There's no need for that, mate" Said Jerico while looking at Max

"Jerico is right, my friend" Added Norman "If lack of sleeping space is your concern, then we a few spare beds for you to use"

"Come on, Max. I know you don't like this sort of stuff, but sleeping outside just because of that is-"

"Please..." Interrupted the young man once more, this time his voice sounding shakier while he placed his other hand against the door and lowered his head slightly "I just want to sleep outside..."

"Max..."

Alex could tell something was off about Max's sudden behavior, but only now he noticed his friend was shivering. He couldn't see his face either, but the sportsman knew something was affecting the young man really bad right now. So much that he even had to ask of him to leave him be instead of just doing what he wanted like usual.

"Well, I don't see why not" Said Jerico, breaking the short silence "If the guy wants to spend the night camping under the stars, I don't really see the problem there"

"Jerico?" Said Norman as both him and Alex turned their heads to look at him

"It's not like we can force him to sleep here if he doesn't want to, right?" Added the cowboy-ish man "Beisdes, we're really high up here, so there's no need to worry about the critters attacking him in his sleep"

Alex was hesitant at first, but it didn't look like he could change Max's mind about it.

"I get it..." Said the sportsman while looking at his friend with concern "Just try to be careful out there, okay?"

The young man didn't reply, he simply took a moment before opening the door and going outside. Wilson loyally following him outside to spend the night with him.

The trio looked at the door for a moment or two before Jerico broke the silence in an attempt to lift the rather heavy mood.

"Well, guess there's no helping it for now" He said before looking at Alex "How about we go back to the dinning room for now? I bet there's still lots of questions you want to ask"

"No, I'm fine..." Replied Alex calmly "I'm not really hungry anymore"

"I see..." Said Norman "If you change your mind, you're welcome to join us once more"

"Thanks..."

And with those words, both Jerico and Norman went back to the dinning room while the sportsman stood there, looking at the door for a moment longer.

After dinner, Alex's group was escorted by Jerico to an extra room usually used by hired bodyguards in the second floor, where they had a few spare beds for them to sleep in. Though it took a bit of time, everyone eventually fell asleep.

Late in the night, Max sat down outside the treehouse with his knees against his chest. Even after hours passed, he still couldn't conceive a wink of sleep. The contorted image of Amelia's grin kept lingering within his mind, constantly haunting him and keeping him from closing his eyes for too long. All Max could do was place both hands on the sides of his head, almost as if to attempting to shut off this horrifying image out of his mind.

"Howdy, mate"

The young man suddenly snapped back into reality after hearing Jerico's voice and turned his head to look at him.

"Can't sleep?"

Max didn't reply, he simply looked at him for a moment before looking forward again while wrapping both arms around his legs.

"Well, I can't really blame you. It's hard to fall asleep in someone else's base after learning to be wary of everything around you" Said Jerico with a carefree tone "Don't mind me, though. I'm just here for the view. Torito here won't get sleepy if he doesn't watch the stars for a bit"

A short moment of silence lingered around while the cowboy-ish man leaned his back against the wall and looked out at the forest around the platform. The sounds of birds and other animals echoing in the distance along with the sound of leaves blowing in the wind every now and then.

"You know, mate. There's something I wanted to talk with you about, but I couldn't do it earlier because the others probably would flip out and I wasn't sure if you talked with Alex and the others about it yet" Said Jerico, breaking the silence once more "It's about that Amelia girl I told you guys about..."

The second mention of Amelia's name didn't perturb Max as intensely as it did the first time, but it was certainly enough to catch his attention.

"Before she and her group left, that girl and the guy always sticking close to her told me something interesting" He said, sounding calm, but still somewhat easy-going "They told me to be wary of a guy called "Max Rockwell", since apparently, the guy went nuts and tried to rape her along with making a pack of dilos attack the camp and kill quite a few people"

The young man's eyes widened in front of this revelation. Not only did Amelia also blame him for the Dilos that attacked the group and allowed him to suvive along with the fake rape, but she was also going by spreading those lies nonchalantly to everyone she met. And considering a few weeks went by since that incident, it was likely that more than a few people were told about it already.

"I...I didn't do it..." He muttered quietly

"I can't really blame ya, though" Continued on Jerico with a carefree smile

"I didn't do it"

"I mean,girl looked real spunky, and with how shit hit the fan for you guys, It's a given anyone could go mad as a butcher's axe and want to cop a root just in-"

"I said I didn't do it! ! !" Yelled Max while suddenly getting up and slamming his fist against the wooden wall rather hard

Although Torito was taken by surprise by the sudden reaction, the cowboy-ish man simply turned his head to look at the young man quietly.

"I didn't do it...!" He said again while clenching his hands tightly "I didn't..."

Right now, anyone would probably tell by his expression that Max was angered, but Jerico wasn't looking at that. Instead, he was focused on his eyes.

While he was no expert at detecting lies, the cowboy-ish man could tell those weren't the eyes of a liar. If anything, they seemed to be honest ones, along with holding a deep, lingering fear, but not of being busted.

"Well...Either way, it ain't really my business" Said Jerico with his eyes closed before turning his back to Max and walking away "Welp. Torito's already getting sleepy, so might as well go hit the fart sack too"

"He-Hey! Wait!"

"Don't worry about that stuff. I'm gonna keep my mouth zipped" He said while walking away and waving his hand lazily "You might want to tell your mates about it yourself soon, though. Waiting to long might end up being the last nail in the coffin"

After leaving, Max was left by himself once more. It took a few moments for him to calm down, and almost an hour or two for him to finally fall asleep. All the while thinking about Jerico's words.

The following day, everyone was up and about early in the morning.

"Ah, good morning everyone" Said Norman, who had a view of Alex and the others walking down the small wooden ramp and into the dinning room from the kitche "Did you sleep well?"

"Oh, man..." Said Alex while stretching his arms "I can't even remember the last time I slept in anything other than a bag or the floor"

"They probably pale in comparison to the beds you had back at home, but they're certainly a great improvement over the cold ground, aren't they?" Replied the indian man with a smile.

Just like everyone else, Norman had spent quite a few nights on the outside without little more than the flesh on his bones to keep him warm at night. So it was easy for him to simpathyze with Alex's group in that regard.

"Please, take a seat. I should be done with the rest of these soon"

When turning their heads, the group saw a bowl of biscuits and a jar of tintoberry jam already placed on the table. Most likely, placed there by Norman recently.

Lily and Alice were quick to comply, but Rick simply turned his head to look at the Indian man instead.

"You had this already made in advance?"

"As I said yesterday, I am the one in charge of preparing food for everyone here" Replied Norman with his gaze still focused on the fresh dough within the oven "As such, I have grown accustomed to waking up earlier and preparing breakfast for everyone else in advance"

"Is that so?" Said Rick with a raised eyebrow before finally asking what was lingering within his mind "Hey...I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but why are you being so welcoming with us?"

Ever since yesterday, Alex's group received a warm welcome from Jerico's group, but that also arose a certain doubt within the sailor. Why even be so kind in the first place?

In a survival situation like this where resources were always the source of conflict and anyone else could be a threat, at least according to them, why go and help a random bunch of people out of the blue like that?

"I imagined you'd ask that sooner or later" Said Norman, sounding so calm one could imagine he saw the question coming from a mile away "Did you know? All of us who live here are people whose lives were saved by Jerico"

"No, he didn't tell us"

"It doesn't surprise me. He isn't one to brag about his own feats, after all" Replied the Indian man with a smile "But it's the truth. All of us here owe him our lives. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's the leader of this group"

"And that's why you're okay with this so easily?"

"It's a given some of us had their doubts, but we all trust Jerico. And if he says you're okay, then we'll believe his words" He replied once more to the question "As for me, I always enjoy the company of others. Not only is it safer with larger numbers, but it also allows me to let more people enjoy my cooking"

"I see..." Said Rick, whose expression became pensive due to Norman's honest answer

"Hey, you guys" Interrupted Alex while walking closer to the sailor and the chef "I'll go check on Max for a bit. He's probably awake already"

"Okay"

"Do not worry, my friend. I have more than enough for everyone here"

Alex nodded to both Rick and Norman with a mixture of gratitude and agreement before heading to the door and out into the open. There, he found Max sitting close to the edge of the platform while looking out at the forest.

Calmly, the sportsman walked closer to his friend until standing next to him. On a closer look, he didn't seem to be doing all that well, but at least a little better than last night.

"Good morning"

"Morning..."

There was a response. That was a good start, but it didn't seem like he'd get more talkative than that anytime soon.

"That Norman guy is making biscuits" Said Alex in an attempt to start a conversation while pointing with his thumb at the house "Wanna go in and have some?"

"No thanks..."

The young man seemed responsive, but the way he did respond was even more concerning than silence.

Instead of opening up to him and the others, It felt more like Max was closing himself off even more and more with each passing day. And it didn't seem like it would stop unless something was done quickly.

"Hey, you guys"

When hearing the voice behind him, Alex turned his head and saw Jeff walking towards them.

"You're...Jeff, right?"

"You kids out here for a stroll?"

"Ye-Yeah. I guess you could say that" Replied Alex while placing one hand on the back of his head

"I usually like to come out early in the morning and spend some time here enjoying the view"

"(The view?)" Thought the sportsman before looking forward at the forest

Despite all the danger they went through yesterday, he couldn't deny that, from here, the forest looked surprisingly peaceful.

"Kind of makes you feel like everything you've seen so far was just a bad dream, doesn't it?"

"Now that you mention it, it kind of does"

"Sometimes when I go to bed, I wish this was all just a bad dream, you know?" Said jeff while standing next to both of them and looking at the distance "I mean, one day I was in a forest looking for one cryptid, and the next one I'm in an island filled with extinct animals"

"Yeah...I know how that feels..."

Alex knew by heart already that not only him, but many others probably wished countless times to wake up back in their beds the next morning and that this was all just one long, horrible nightmare. But at this point, that was just wishful thinking.

After a short moment of silently gazing into the distance, Alex's eyes diverted towards Max. The sportsman couldn't help but wonder if he had held this kind of thinking as well, or if he had already given up on it by the time they found him.

It was during this moment that he noticed his friend's eyes diverting towards Jeff to look at him. At first they seemed to be just the same as they were with anyone, but his expression suddenly changed into one of shock.

"Max? What's the mat-?" Asked Alex before turning his head to look at Jeff and realizing the reason behind his shock

The balding man stood right where he was, looking down with a blank expression at the wooden arrow stuck in his chest, pierching right into his heart.

"...Eh?" Said the sportsman with a blank expression

Both men looked at Jeff with shock as blood began to pour from the injury, along with pouring out of his mouth as well. Slowly, he reached out for the arrow, but could only manage to get a weak grip on it before stumbling on the spot and falling forward. Alex tried to reach out for him, but his hands were unable to get a grip on the balding man, who fell off the platform and went all the way down to the ground, hitting it with a strong thud sound as the now dead body landed right in front of over a dozen men, all of them dressed in cloth and hide gear, all armed with spears, bows, crossbows and some even mounted on the back of raptors.

The group of armed men looked up at Alex and Max, then didn't hesitate to aim at them with their bows, then shoot countless arrows at them.

Fortunately, Max was quick to react and in a split second wrapped one arm around the sportman's waist and pushed him back, making the arrows aimed at his face miss by mere inches as the flew up and were sent back down by gravity to the ground, with some getting stuck on the platform.

"Holy shit!" Yelled Alex after finally snapping back to his senses and quickly shielding his head with his hands "What the fuck is going on!?"

As both of them shielded themselves from the barrage of arrows, two grappling hooks flew up into the air and got stuck on the end of the platform, allowing two men to climb up the ropes and into the treehouse base.

"Hah! Got two more here!" Said one of the men after seeing both Alex and Max, who were crawling back towards the house

Both men quickly went towards the sportsman and the young man, each one taking a hold of them by the legs.

"He-Hey, let go! Stop!"

Alex and Max struggled as their assailants dragged them towards them and pulled out hatchets. And once the man holding Alex got a good grip on his neck, he raised his weapon to strike him right in the forehead with a grin, but the sportsman was saved at the last second by Torito, who flew right at the assailant's face and began to gnaw at him.

"U-uarghhhhh!?" He yelled while getting back up and struggling to get the flying creature off of his face "Get this fucking thing off of me!"

After finally getting Torito away, the assailant was received by the sight of an arrow shot by Jerico flying straight at him, hitting him right in the shoulder and causing him to move a few steps backwards, falling over the edge of the platform and all the way down into his death.

At the same time, Wilson jumped at the other asailant and use his beak to attack him. And while not very powerful, the bird's attacks were more than enough to distract the man and give Max a chance to losen the grip he had on him. This was followed by a fierce kick to the man's face, causing him to stagger for a short moment.

"Oof! You son of a-!"

The young man quickly crawled away with Wilson as the assailant took out his hatched and leaped at him, but his attack was stopped by Eddy, who jumped in and parried it with a wooden shield, followed by a brutal blow to the side of the head with a wooden club. Teeth and blood flew like spark on a firework as the man was spun around from the brute force of the impact and then sparta kicked in the back, sending him over the edge of the platform to fall down into his death with the other man. Both of them yelling all the way down before hitting the ground.

"Alex! Max! You guys okay!?" Yelled Rick while approaching both of them.

"What's going on!? Who are these guys!?"

"It's the raiders, you dimwit!" Snarled Eddy after kicking one of the grappling hooks off and causing the raiders climbing the rope to fall off, then using his wooden shield to block an arrow

"They must have tracked us down after last night's escape from the bugs!" Added Jerico while kicking off the other grappling hook and shooting back with his crossbow at the bandits, then crouching to avoid the arrows

"Everyone, are you okay!?" Yelled Lily, whose voice was slightly difficult to hear over the yelling of the raiders

"You girls, stay inside! It's not safe out here!" Retorted Rick while turning his head to look at the young woman and girl

Eddy helped block some of the incoming arrows and kept the incoming grappling hooks from staying in place for too long while Jerico kept returning fire. Though as well as they were holding up, the overwhelming barrage of arrows was making it difficult for them to stay around the edge for too long, and the grappling hooks were getting harder to keep away.

"Jerico, Eddy!" Yelled Norman from the doorframe while looking at them, but keeping himself covered behind the wall "They're trying to climb from the other side!"

"Damn it!" Said Eddy with an angered tone "Where the hell did these guys get so many grappling hooks from!?"

In the midst of this situation, Jerico decided it would be a good time to request backup from his guests.

"Hey, mates! Not meaning to boss you around or anything, but we could really use a hand here!"

"Wha-What!?"

"Didn't you hear him!? We need your help, damn it!"

Alex's mind was having a difficult time processing everything that was happening right now. The sudden attack by bandits and the sight of seeing someone die right in front of him was overwhelming. Not because of the violence in itself, but because this was a sight of humans killing other humans.

"Stop dwindling around and give us a hand already!" Snarled the chitin-armored man "Do you want to get mauled to death by these guys!?"

Fortunately for Alex, Max and Rick were able to react in accordance to the situation and quickly headed to the other side of the platform while Wilson dashed back into the house by the young man's orders. There, they saw a few grapling hooks already connected to the edge.

Both of them hesitated for a moment, but the young man was the first one to react after hearing the voices of those climbing the rope and quickly run towards the edge before kicking one of the hooks off, causing the ones climbing the rope to fall down into their death. Rick was shocked by this at first, but he was quick to follow suit and began to knock them out as well, probably fueled by the fear of death, or simply by instinct. One way or the other, both men closed their eyes for a short moment, as if to shut out the screaming bandits and to convince themselves that what they did couldn't be avoided. That it was in self-defense. And while true, it didn't make things any easier on them.

Despite knocking out quite a few hooks, some bandits still managed to climb up into the platform and turn the defense into a full-on fight.

Rick grew used to fighting with his machete against fast or bulky dinosaurs, so defending himself from the blows of hatchets and spears by dodging, parrying or blocking wasn't as difficult as he imagined it to be. And Max, although not proud of it, had not only fighting experience against dinos like Rick, but also a general idea of how to fight against human enemies as well.

Alex wanted to help them as well, but his body wouldn't listen to him. Perhaps because the enemies were humans this time, but the sportsman's legs wouldn't move.

"That all you've got, pretty boy!?" Snarled one of the bandits at Max, who was blocking the hatchet with his spear.

"(Don't think! Don't think!)" Thought the young man to himself while struggling against his adversary "(Just fight! Fight!)"

Focusing on survival, both Rick and Max fought without holding back.

The first one to claim a win was the sailor, who managed to deal a powerful slice right at the raider's chest after dodging a horizontal slash of his weapon, leaving a large wound on his enemy's chest as he was sent falling backwards and fell out of the platform. The young man was able to achieve victory as well sohrtly after by delivering a sweeping slash that hit the second raider in the arm, making him stagger for a few seconds and giving Max enough time to stab him right in the stomach, pushing him a few feet back to fall off as well.

With both enemies taken care off, Max and Rick quickly knocked off the remaining hooks while avoiding the arrows.

"Holy cow! Just how many of these guys are there!?" Said Harold while lying on the ground with his hands on his head "And where did Jeff go!?"

"I have no clue!"

"Just what's going on!?" Asked Lily while raising her head to look through the window "Is everyone okay!?"

"Ah! Lily, be careful!"

"You girls! Please stay down!" Said Norman while looking at them and trying to pull them back behind cover "It's dangerous to expose ourselves right now!"

"But we have to help them!"

"Do not worry about them!" He replied while Wilson as well joined the effort and began to pull on her socks in an attempt to make her get down "Jerico and Eddy are skilled fighters! And I'm sure your friends will be able to hold their ground as well!"

As Jeff, Norman, Alice, Lily and Wilson remained hidden within the house, the fight kept raging outside. The raiders remained persistent in their attempts, but the tide of battle began to tip in favor to Jerico, Eddy, Max and Rick as the numbers of their assailants began to dwindle.

With their forces steadily decreasing and the wounded increasing, it seemed as though this would be a victory for the treehouse base, but the raiders refused to leave empty-handed and decided to at least take something back with them. And while rampaging into the house was not a choice, there was a much easier to catch prey just outside, and seemingly in a state of confusion to boot.

In a quick move, one of the raiders managed to sneak up through the side and got a hold of Alex by surprise, locking him by the neck.

"Got you!"

"Wha-!? Let go!"

When hearing Alex's voice, both Rick and Max turned around to see him struggling to break free.

"Alex!" Said Rick after turning around and trying to head towards him, but both him and Max being stopped the raiders they were trying to fend off earlier

"Where'cha think ya going!?"

"Get out of my way!"

Both Jerico and Eddy were able to notice the situation as well, but their hands were already too busy holding their position.

"That friggin idiot!"

"Torito! Go help him!"

By the cowboy-ish man's command, Torito quickly flew towards the raider, but it was stopped by a second man, who quickly got up into the platform and tossed a smoke grenade on the floor, releasing a large cloud that forced the Dimorphodon to retreat in a panic.

"Shit!"

"Let go of me! Let go already!"

"Quit struggling, wimp!"

In a quick motion, the second raider used his club to hit Alex right in the gut, effectively making all the air leave his lungs and making dragging him away easier. Both of them sliding down the ropes with the almost unconscious sportsman as both Rick and Max were still struggling to make their way through.

"Alex, no!"

In a sudden rush, the sailor managed to dodge his attacker's weapon and shoudler bashed him out of the platform while Max used the opposite end of his spear to smack the raider in the face and knock him out before both of them quickly ran towards the fading smoke.

At the same time, the barrage of arrows suddenly ceased along with the attempts to climb, allowing both Jerico and Eddy to see as well how the raiders on the ground loaded up Alex on the back of a raptors and quickly made their escape. Jerico took aim at the raptor right away, but didn't fire out of concern for hitting Alex instead.

"Damn it!"

The sailor rushed towards the rope ladder and tried to uncoil it in order to make his way down and give chase, but he was stopped by Eddy and Jerico.

"Hey, knock that off!" Yelled the chitin armored man to him "Are you out of your mind!?"

"Let go of me! Let go!" Snarled Rick while struggling to break free "I have to go help him!"

"Stop it, mate!" Said Jerico in an attempt to make him cool down "If you go down there, those bogans are gonna kill you!"

"Alex! Alex! !"

Rick kept struggling to break free while yelling the sportsman name and Max looked with shocked eyes at his friend getting lost from sight among the massive trees as he got carried away by bloodthirsty raiders into the depts of the forest.


	8. To the north

"What the hell do you mean by "take our time"!?" Snarled Rick while slamming both hands on the table "We need to go rescue him now!"

"Like I'm saying, that's what we're trying to do here" Replied Jerico in an attempt to calm down the sailor "But it's not just a one, two, three dance"

"Don't you get it!? Every moment we waste is just another chance for those madmen to do God knows what to him!"

"Do you even know where to find those Madmen in the first place?" Asked Eddy while looking at him with his arms crossed

"That's...!"

"Please, my friend; You need to stop and think rationally" Said Norman this time while looking at him "We all want Alex to return safely too, but simply running around in circles won't achieve anything"

"And even if you did know where to find them, just charging straight into them would be a surefire way to get yourself killed" Added Jerico

Rick didn't snarl back this time; He wanted to do it, but he knew it very well himself. He knew Jerico, Eddy and Norman were right in what they were saying.

After everyone managed to get a hold of himself after the sudden raid, the first thing Rick wanted to do was go out there and save Alex, but going on a wild goose chase in such a reckless way would only end up getting him killed either by the beasts lurking around the forests or by the bandits who could easily ambush him if he were to just charge in unprepared. And even if Jerico and Torito were able to track down where they were, marching in without a plan would only result in being either captured or killed on the spot as well.

And it's not like he could complain to Jerico's group about how bad this situation was for him and the others either way, as they had suffered from the attack as well. But in the case of Jerico's group, one of their companions died without them being able to do a thing. At least they still were able to hold on to the hope of recovering Alex alive.

"I still can't believe Jeff is gone..."

"I'm really sorry about what happened to your friend" Said Lily with an apologetic tone while looking at him with a saddened expression

Out of Jerico's group, the one that got hit by Jeff's death the hardest was Harold. The two of them were close friends for quite a long time now, and having his death tear them appart so suddenly was a low blow for everyone, especially for him.

"He was a bit odd and would never shut up about his UFO and conspiracy theories, but he was a good guy" Said Harold with his head still lowered and the sadness clear as day in his tone "He didn't deserve to die like that"

"No one does, mate..." Replied Jerico while looking at him, then looking at the people around him "What happened to Jeff was a total kick in the head, but we need to focus on figuring out where to find Alex and those bogans"

"Good thing we got a hold of this guy, then" Said Eddy as everyone turned their heads in the same direcction as him.

Just a short distance away, a man was tied by his arms and legs to a chair while a bag covered his head. He was one of the bandits that got knocked out by Max during the battle and was unable to escape.

After Jerico nodded in agreement to the chitin-armored man, the latter walked closer to the tied up man and removed the bag, revealing a young man with clear blond short hair pulled backwards.

"About bloody time!" Complained the bandit while shaking his head lightly "That thing smelled good, but it was a pain in the ass!"

"Now, then. How about a little talk?" Asked Jerico while walking closer to him.

"Screw you! I ain't telling you guys shit!"

"Look, man; You have two choices here" Explained Eddy to with his club in one hand and holding the opposite end with the other "You either spill out the details, or I spill out your teeth"

"You think that's gonna scare me!?"

So far, the bandit didn't seem intimidated or all too willing to cooperate. This, in turn, was causing Rick to lose confidence in this plan.

"Damn it...Is this really gonna work?" He said while looking at the interrogation going stale

"Just give it some time, my friend" Replied Norman while turning his head to look at him "Things might seem like they're not working out right now, but Jerico is skilled at getting information out of people"

"Not to mention, Eddy knows how to make people talk too" Added Harold

The sailor looked at both men before turning his head to look at the interrogation taking place once more. All he could do was hope the two of them would be able to pull through.

"Guess we ain't getting this mongrel to talk after all" Said Jerico while scratching his head with a confused expression

"I guess not..." Added Eddy "Beating him up probably would take too long anyway"

"(You guys gave up way too fast!)" Thought Rick while sweat dropping

The cowboy-ish man took a moment of thought before coming to the conclusion that this interrogation would take too long before they got any significant information, and therefore concluded they would need to take less conventional measures to speed things up.

"Welp, then it's time for some "fruity" chomping"

"Fruity chomping?" Asked both the bandit and Rick at the same time

"Ah! That sounds healthy!" Added Lily, who saw the name as something one would give to a healthy diet of sorts

"Mind holding me old clobber, Eddy?"

"Sure thing"

Jerico gestured at his companion Torito, who moved from his shoulder to Eddy's in response to it before the cowboy-ish man stood behind the bandit and the chitin-armored man remained in front of him; All of it while the confused man alternated between looking at both of them.

"He-Hey...Watcha playing at now?"

Once behind him, Jerico placed both hands on the man's knees and forced him to spread his legs.

"Hey, girls; You might wanna look away" He said while looking at Lily and Alice "This is not goning to be pretty"

Both women were confused by his words and actions, but Rick was quick to understand due to being a man and knowing there was one simple way of giving any man quick, simple and certainly excrutiating amounts of pain; Not to mention, Torito was already preparing his jaws, chomping in preparation for what was to come in a moment.

"Hey, hey, hey! The hell are you doing!?" Asked the bandit, who was already starting to grasp what might happen as well

"One more time" Said the cowboy-ish man while looking at him "Wanna talk, or still feel like being a little mongrel?"

"Fuck you, man! Fuck you!"

"You heard the man, Jerico"

"No choice but to do it, I guess"

Jerico simply gave a look at Torito, who jumped off from Eddy's shoulder to the edge of the chair and between the man's legs.

"Hey, stop! Stay away!"

"I reckon you might have a bit of a trouble getting a stiffy for a while after this..."

"I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you dead for this!"

"Torito...Fruity chomping!"

Just as Jerico ordered, Torito opened his jaws widely and leaped towards the man's crotch as Rick used his hands to cover Lily and Alice's eyes.

"Nonononono-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGHHHHHHHHHHH! ! ! !" Yelled the raider as his pained screams echoed all the way outside into the forest around them

After a few very painful chomps and some drawn out screaming, the bandit finally decided to spill the beans and tell Jerico what he wanted to know, including the number of raiders and their tames. Along with convincing him of offering himself as their guide

Once they stocked up on arrows, Max, Rick, Jerico and Eddy got formed a group and got ready to head to the base of the raiders and save Alex with their hostage as the guide.

On the meanwhile, Lily, Alice, Norman and Harold would stay on the treehouse base and wait for them to return.

"Alright; Everyone ready?"

Rick and Eddy nodded in agreement right away, and although Max didn't nod as well, Jerico already knew he was ready too.

"Remember what we agreed on, you guys" Said the cowboy-ish man while turning around to look at the group that would stay back "If we don't come back by nightfall, then pack up and head to the closest group of tradies you can find"

"Don't worry, man; We'll be ready in case anything happens" Replied Harold with a smile

"Stay safe, everyone" Added Norman "I'm certain the four of you will succed"

"Please, be careful" Added Lily as well, who seemed notably concerned

The group gave one last look to the ones who would stay in the base before descending to ground level by use of the ladder. There were still quite a few arrows left laying around along with some stains of blood spread here and there, but Jerico and Eddy hardly paid any attention to them. Rick and Max had a more difficult time ignoring them, but eventually managed to regain focus on the objective at hand once they ventured into the forest and away from it.

Oddly enough, Wilson tagged along with them instead of staying back in the treehouse with the second group. Despite them offering to look after the bird, Max refused to let it stay.

Norman and Harold worried a camp full of raiders would be too dangerous for a Dodo and felt confused by his persistence, but decided to agree since there was no way to persuade him from it.

"Oh, boy...Oh, man; I'm so fucked..." Said the raider while shaking his head as he walked with his arms still tied and connected to a rope held by Eddy, who was behind him to make sure he wouldn't try to escape.

"Put a sock in it already, will you?" Said the chitin-armored man, who was growing tired of his constant complaining

"Easy for you to say, damn it!" He snarled while turning his head to look at him "All you guys need to do is snatch that guy and turn tail; But once the boss knows I led you there, his dino's gonna chomp my friggin head off!"

"If that's the problem, then there's no need to worry" Said Jerico with a lax tone

"The hell is that supposed to mean?"

"We're not only going there to get their friend out" Explained Eddy with his stare still focused forward "We're also going to make that boss of yours croak"

"What?"

Along with Alex's rescue, the group had decided to take out the raider boss as well if possible; After all, bandit groups were usually haphazard groups of violent thugs held together only by a stronger and more violent person with some sense of leadership. As such, the best way to dismantle larger bandit groups like this one was to eliminate the leader who maintained order. With him gone, the already shaky unity of the group would crumble down in less than two days and force the raiders to spread out and escape to other parts of the island, with most of them usually ceasing to be an issue afterwards.

Rick couldn't say he was okay with the idea of having to kill again, but he knew rescuing Alex was next to impossible without Jerico and Eddy's help. And leaving things as they were would only result in the raiders attacking them again shortly after rescuing the sportsman anyway. Max didn't seem to care about this dilema, though; All he cared about was rescuing his friend and resuming their journey to the obelisks as soon as they could

"You guys are friggin crazy if you think you can take down the boss with just the four of you!" Said the raider while alternating between each of them "Not only he has that nasty Megalosaurus, but there's around twenty people in that camp! No way in hell you're getting close enough to take him out!"

"I never said we would get close, did I?" Replied the cowboy-ish man once more, this time while readying his crossbow "This sheila here might not look like much, but I like to think of myself as a good marksman; Heck, bet I could hit a Dodo right between the eyes from a 100 yards away"

After his lax and smug words of self-confidence, Jerico received a rather nasty glare from Max; It wasn't hard to imagine why, though.

"Oh, sorry mate; Didn't mean it like that"

"You guys, stay quiet" Said Eddy while looking at them "We're getting close"

True to the chitin-armored man's words, the tranquil atmosphere of the forest was slowly being drowned out by the sound of animals and people alike the more they kept advancing.

Everyone quickly crouched down an sought cover in the thick bushes, slowly sneaking within the vegetation until approaching a small encampment just a short distance away. There were no thatch buildings or walls surrounding it, only some tents and a bonfire with a few pots hanging over the flames held by thick sticks. A rather simple and poorly made settlement, but one fitting for a group of nomadic brigands who moved all over the forest and constantly changed locations.

Most of the raiders in question were simply idling around or eating berries and meat while others tried to keep themselves busy by tending to their own weapons or looking after the raptors. Their numbers were surprisingly smaller than expected, most likely due to their latest attempt at raiding Jerico's base dwindling their numbers considerably.

"Hey, look over there!" Muttered Rick while pointing at the other side of the camp

As everyone looked at the same direction as the sailor, they saw a man clad in chitin armor sitting next to a dark grey lizard, larger than a carnotaurus and with feathers decorating it's head and back. The Megalosaurus was sleeping so calmly it almost seemed harmless. Or at least it would if it weren't a pre-historic lizard that was larger than a horse and had a clearly bloodstained row of very sharp teeth.

"So that's the leader of the raiders"

"Yeah, no doubt about that..." Said Eddy while looking at him "It's that bastard, alright"

Looking at the two men, the sailor saw Jerico was now stern and focused, but Eddy on the other hand was glaring at the raider boss so intensely it wouldn't be surprising if he and his Megalosaurus suddenly went up in flames.

As they looked at him, they saw the brigand leader leave his tame's side and head towards a group of people tied to one of the massive trees. Among them was Alex, slightly roughened up judging by the notable new rips and stains in his clothes, but still alive.

"It's Alex!" Said Rick with relief

"Damn, he's on the other side of the camp..." Muttered the chitin-armored man

"Looks like we're gonna need to circle around" Added Jerico while looking carefully at the trees and vegetation around the camp, thinking about how to sneak around before looking at his group "Alright, I'll try to move to the opposite side and cause a distraction. Eddy, you stay here and keep an eye on this bogan; Rick, you try sneak the other way with Max and...Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Hey, mate; Where's Max?"

"What?"

Both Rick and Eddy turned their heads and noticed Max was indeed gone. Even Wilson was nowhere to be seen either.

"Where the hell did he go!?"

"I-I don't know! He was here just a moment ago!"

"Hey, you dudes...Isn't that him?" Pointed the still tied raider

When looking at the same direcction as him, everyone saw Max slowly sneaking through the vegetation, already making his way towards the tree where Alex was tied up.

"That fucking idiot!" Muttered Eddy with an irritated tone

"Strewth, I guess he got ahead of us" Added Jerico with a surprised tone "Well, at least he seems to be following the plan"

"What do we do now?"

"The plan doesn't change" He replied to Eddy before looking at Rick again "You go catch up to him, and I'll go get in position"

"Okay, I got it"

"Make sure you guys wait until I cause a distraction before moving in; There's way less bogans here than I thought, but I'd rather not start a brawl"

The sailor nodded in agreement and sneaked through the vegetation in search of the young man while Jerico moved towards an opposite direcction.

The chitin-armored man looked at him for a moment before simply looking at the brigand leader again.

On the meanwhile, Alex looked around him at the two men keeping watch over him and the other hostages. One of them was a middle-aged man named Frederick who had grey-ish short hair while the other was younger man with light brown curly hair on the top and short on the sides, along with a surprisingly tidy short beard, called Jordan. Both of their names given by their respective owners earlier during a rather short introduction after he was tied up with them.

"This is it...We're done for..." Said Jordan with a soft tone, who was tied next to the sportsman while shaking his head in disbelief "We're gonna get traded to the new legion as slaves and do forced labor until we die...Such an unrefined end"

"The new legion?"

"You don't know about the new legion?" Asked Frederick on the opposite end while leaning forward slightly

"No...We only arrived here a short while ago"

Both men looked at him with a slight empathy before giving him an explanation.

"The new legion is one of the largest tribes on the island and the most powerful one so far" Explained Frederick "They number on the hundreds and are extremely militant, chosing conquest and war over trading and diplomacy"

"They also have the tendency of using slaves as a workforce to bolster their production" Added Jordan "It's quite a barbaric thing, but many brigands and raiders are allowed the chance to join the legion if they bring them enough slaves"

"Wa-Wait a minute! Slavery!?" Interrupted Alex while looking at both of them with an anxious look "But isn't that against human rights!?"

Both men looked at each other before looking at the sportsman again

"You still don't get it, do you kid?" Asked Frederick "There's no goverment on this island, so there's no laws or rights either"

"But-!"

"Shut up already, you dumb bastards!" Snarled one of the raiders before smacking Alex in the face with the opposite end of his spear

"Oof!"

Alex felt a sharp pain in his head along with the warm feeling of blood running down his face, causing him to feel dizzy for a moment or two. At the same time, the brigand leader approached them, causing the two raiders keeping watch on the trio to look at him and step back.

The leader took a look at all his prisoners carefully, first starting with the two men who also looked at him, then at Alex. Since the sportsman was still in a short daze and with his head lowered, the leader walked closer and grabbed him by the top of the head, forcing him to raise it and look at him in the eyes.

"N-No! I don't wanna! !"

Everyone's attention was diverted towards the fourth prisoner sitting on the other side of Alex. Up until now he remained quiet, but it seemed as though panic was finally taking over the unfortunate soul.

"Don't take me to the new legion! ! ! I don't wanna be a slave! ! !" He begged in a panic while crying struggling to break free "Please! ! ! I'll do anything you want! ! ! Just don't take me there, please, please , plea-! ! !"

As the fourth prisoner kept begging non-stop, the leader let go of Alex's head, got up on his feet, pulled out a revolver and shot the man in the head without any hesitation.

"Whoa!"

"Shit!"

The blood that spilled out due to the bullet piercing through the man's head stained the three behind it and part of Alex's face.

"Fucking whiner..."

"Bo-Boss!?" Asked one of his men while looking at him with confusion

"The new legion hates slaves that don't work or bitch too much" He said, already anticipating the question lingering in the head of the two raiders, while looking at them, then at the dead man again "No way in hell they were buying this crybaby"

Alex looked in shock at the dead body sitting next to him for a moment or two, the warm feeling of his blood lingering in his face.

"Go and toss him somewhere else before he starts to stink up the place"

"Yes!"

Both raiders proceeded to untie the dead man as Alex's eyes diverted from it to the brigand leader.

"Why did you do that!?"

"Hm?"

"Hey, boy! Stop it!" Whispered Jordan, but this fell on deaf ears

"He was a human being just like you! So why did you kill him!?"

"Because I wanted to" Answered the leader of the raiders as if what he did just now was no big deal "Why else?"

The man clad in chitin armor took a short look at Alex again, this time noticing his uniform.

"Wait...You're one of those kids that came here last month, aren't you?"

"Wha-What about it?"

"I heard you didn't even try to put up a fight when my boys went to raid your base"

"Humans shouldn't try to kill each other like that! It's insane!"

Both raiders and the leader looked at him for a moment with widened eyes before bursting out in laughter for a short moment or two.

"You probably don't get it yet, but this is a dog eats dog world; Only the strong live long here" Said the brigand's leader while dangling his gun next to Alex's face with a smug smirk "Unfortunately, you didn't seem to get the message soon enough. Or maybe you just didn't have the stomach to do it?"

The sportsman looked at him, unable to answer, before the leader of the raiders stood straight once again and shrugged.

"Either way, you fucked up, kid; So I hope you enjoy the slave life" He said before turning around and walking away "Don't worry, though. I'm sure you'll meet plenty of your little friends over there"

His words caused Alex's eyes to widen. Not only did he insinuate Alex would spend the rest of his life as a slave, but that many other students were turned into slaves for this new legion as well.

He wouldn't be able to find out about the third and final obelisk, he wouldn't be able to find Dahlia, he wouldn't be able to help Max return to normal and he wouldn't be able to help get everyone back home. Instead, he would be forced to work as a slave for the rest of his life doing God knows what until he either died from starvation or overwork, and all of it because he couldn't do what was needed when push came to show.

These thoughts began to plague his mind over and over again, slowly inducing a sense of despair and fear into him as the rwo raiders untied the body next to him and lifted it up until one of them suddenly noticed an unusual sight.

"Hey, isn't that a Dodo?"

"(Huh?)"

Alex quickly turned his head after hearing the raider's words and saw both of them looking at a familiar-looking Dodo.

"(Is that...Wilson?)"

"The fuck is a Dodo doing in the redwood forest?"

"Hey, you take care of this" Said one of the raiders while letting go of the dead body's legs

"Seriously, man?"

"It's easy food!"

"We have food already, you dumbass!"

"Then more food for me!"

The first raider went after Wilson, who was getting away, while the second raider was left alone to deal with the corpse.

"Asshole..." He said after groaning while dragging the body.

"Come here, you little fattass. I've got a nice campfire I want to toss you into"

Wilson kept luring the raider away until finally stopping just a short distance away, allowing him to ready his spear.

"Now hold still, this is just gonna hurt a lot"

Little did this self proclaimed hunter know, he was the one being hunted.

"Hey..."

Max, who took advantage of this to sneak up behind the raider and calmly call out to him. This was followed by a powerful attack with the opposite end of his spear, hitting the bandit right in the chin and knocking him out before his body hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Quickly, he took a hold of the man's legs and dragged him into a bush to keep him from being seen.

At the same time, the other raider kept dragging the body further away from the base before stopping to call out to his companion.

"Hey! Are you taking a piss on that thing or something!?" Said the other raider while looking at the direcction the first raider "Get your ass over here already!"

The second man kept waiting for a moment or two, but received no answer.

"What's taking him so long?" He said to himself before Rick, who had managed to sneak closer during this moment of distraction, suddenly got a hold of his shoulders and dragged him into a bush "What the fuc-!?"

The moment he dragged him into the bush, the sailor began to relentlessly punch him in the face until knocking him out.

With both guards taken care of, Max and Rick quickly sneaked behind the tree Alex was tied to, then took a peek at the encampment. Both of them waiting for Jerico to cause a distraction for them to move

"Okay, time to make a little noise..." Said Jerico while rumagging through his backpack and pulling out some sparkpowder

Carefully, he poured the powder over the head of one of his arrows and set it ablaze before aiming at one of the tents and opening fire. The flaming arrow flew straight into it and caused the flames to spread quickly to the other tents, creating a large fire.

"Whoa!?"

"A fire!?"

"Look out!"

The raiders quickly took notice and some went into a state of confusion, unable to understand what just happened.

"You lot, stop whining!" Yelled the leader of the raiders while quickly approaching the scene "Hurry up and put out the fires!"

Some bandits proceeded to draw buckets of water from the barrels gathered close-by and began tossing it at the tents in an attempt to stop the flames from spreading further.

During this moment, both Rick and Max took advantage of the panic to circle around the tree and help the hostages. With Max untying Alex's bindings using his dagger while Rick helped out the other two using his machete.

"Ma-!" Said the sportsman before the young man quickly put one hand over his mouth to shut him up, followed by a hand gesture to remain silent, which he nodded in agreement to

Never in all his life did Alex feel so glad of seeing Max like he did right now. Not even the day he lost his virginity brought him this much joy.

"Who the hell started that fire!?" Demanded to know the brigand's boss while taking a hold of one of his underlings "Have you assholes been messing around with the sparkpowder again!?"

"I don't know, boss! They suddenly just went up in flames!"

While trying to come up with something to say to his boss, the brigand's eyes moved from side to side and eventually took notice of the hostages just a short distance being freed.

"Boss! The prisoners!"

The leader of the raiders suddenly turned his head and saw Alex and the two men being freed from their bindings, then quickly pulled out his gun. But just before pulling the trigger, a second arrow flew from the bushes and hit him right in the back of the head, causing his aim to divert upwards and hit the tree instead.

"Boss!?"

The brigand leader fell to the floor as his helmet slipped off. Unfortunately, the headshot failed to kill him due to the thickness of his chitin helmet.

"Strewth!"

In a fit of rage, the leader quickly turned around and unloaded the remaining bullets in his barrel at the direcction the arrow came from. Surely enough, this caught everyone's attention.

"Intruders! We have intruders!" He yelled with his gaze focused on the vegetation while reloading his gun "Get your heads out of your asses and find them!"

The raiders quickly heeded his orders and spread out, picking up his weapons and heading towards the tamed raptors. But before they could ride their reptilian steeds, arrows began to fly from different direcctions and hit the raptors one by one in the neck and head, killing them off.

"Damn it, Jerico! Of all times to fail the shot!" Complained Eddy, who pulled out a bow and, along with Max and Rick, began to rain down arrows upon the raptors while Jerico kept the gunfire of the deadlyest weapon focused on him.

"There's more of them!"

"We're surrounded!"

"They're trying to kill off all the tames! Get the raptors moving!"

The whole encampment was turned into a chaotic battle. The raiders armed with spears and bows running from one side to the other, shooting their own arrows at the surrounding forests while some ran into the forest in search of the intruders or attempted to put out the fires and get the tames moving out.

After a larger portion of their raptors dropped dead, the arrows began to fly towards the raiders instead, slowly dwindling their numbers.

"He-Hey, you guys! Wait a minute!" Said Alex after noticing their new targets "Those are-"

The sportsman was about to get a hold of Max's shoulder, but he quickly noticed the expresion on his and Rick's faces, along with the way their hands shivered with each arrow shot. Just like Alex, they didn't want to do this. Having to do it brought a sense of repulsion into their stomachs, and it was easy to tell just by their faces. Why would they enjoy such a thing?

The only reason they did it was because there was no other choice, because they knew refusing to fight back, be it either against man or beast would get them killed for sure. Alex understood this as well, but he couldn't bring himself to do it anyway. Just like the leader of the raiders said, he did lack the stomach to kill someone even in self-defense.

"(Damn it...)" He thought as a sense of disgust towards his own naivety began to swell up within his chest "(What the hell am I doing?)"

"Slothy! Wake the hell up!" Yelled the leader of the raiders before whistling at his war beast.

Slowly, the large lizard opened his eyes and got up after waking up, letting out a strong roar that echoed all over the encampment.

"Damn it! It woke up!" Said Eddy while breaking a cold sweat

"Over here! I found two!"

"Oh, come on!"

"Wa-wait, you guys! I'm one of you!" Said the tied-up raider, who was shuffling in a panic.

The chitin-armored man turned his head and saw a trio of raiders armed with spears and hatchets heading towards him, forcing him to drop his bow and get up to fight head-on with his shield and club.

At the same time, the Megalosaurus charged towards Max and the others. The arrows fired at him unable to stop it's slugish, yet steady steps.

"It's coming over here!"

"Alex, get those two out of here!" Said Rick while turning his head to look at him "We'll keep that thing busy!"

"Okay!"

Max and Rick kept shooting arrows at the feathered lizard to monopolize it's attention while Alex, Wilson and the two prisoners moved away, using the trees and vegetation as cover.

As the Megalosaurus got closer, both the young man and the sailor ran out of cover in opposite direcctions, hoping to confuse the creature. Unfortunately, the Megalosaurus hardly flinched at this attempt and quickly chose Max as the first victim for his jaws.

"Look out!"

The large lizard swooped towards the young man, his jaws wide open to capture him and rip him appart, but Max quickly rolled to avoid the bite attack. This was followed by him quickly taking a hold of his spear and using it to stab the lizard in the head. Unfortunately, the Megalosaurus opened his mouth and caused the spear attack to miss before bitting down on it, forcing the young man to move forward and be lifted up into the air as the lizard bashed him with his head, sending him flying away and causing him to crash into a stack of wooden boxes.

"Max!"

Alex stopped right on his track and turned around just in time to see the large lizard moving towards his friend, who laid unmoving in the pile of broken boxes.

"Torito, go help him!"

The flying lizard quickly flew away from Jerico's shoulder and towards the Megalosaurus, gnawing at it's face and eyes to distract it from Max.

Pained roars echoed as the large lizard shook it's head to get Torito away, but the little flier had quite a strong grip, making it nearly impossible

As he regained his composure, the young man looked around him and noticed one of the boxes he landed on had an assortment of round metal spheres covered in cloth wraps, each one with a pin at the top.

"(Are these...?)" He thought while reaching out and taking a hold of one

"Damn pest!" Yelled the leader of the raiders while aiming his gun and shooting at Torito

The first few bullets missed, but the last one managed to hit the small flier right in the wing. A pained shriek echoed out of Torito's mouth as his grip loosened up and he got tossed away, falling to the ground a short distance away.

"Torito!"

Jerico hastily began to aim at the Megalosaurus, but he was forced to take cover by the gunfire of the leader's pistol. All he could do was watch as the large lizard moved in towards his small companion to devour him whole in one bite.

The cowboy-ish man was about to jump out and risk it, but this changed as Max quickly ran between the beast's legs and slid on the muddy ground, taking a hold of the injured Torito and avoiding the jaws by mere inches with it in his arms.

Once his sliding stopped, the young man removed the pin from the grenade he picked up earlier and quickly turned around to face the Megalosaurus as it moved in to attack again.

"Hey!" He said before moving his arm back and tossing the grenade as hard as he could "Pick on someone your own size!"

The round explosive flew from his hand and right into the Megalosaurus's mouth, causing him to accidentally swallow it and choke on the metal ball for a few seconds before it violently exploded within him. Blood and flesh flying everywhere with a booming sound while the now dead and headless dinosaur flopped down on the ground.

Thanks to the explosion being mostly contained within the Megalosaurus's body, the following shockwave didn't hurt Max despite being only a short distance away, and Torito wasn't harmed as well thanks to the young man wrapping his arms around him to protect the small flier.

Slowly, Max got back up on his feet to look at the dead dinosaur, but he was quickly tackled back down to the ground by the leader of the brigands. Torito slipping off of his grasp and falling on the ground away from him.

"You little bastard! ! !" Yelled the leader as he knocked him to the ground, then aimed his gun at Max's face "That was my mount! ! !"

The brigand pulled on the trigger, but only a click was heard from the empty gun. He then proceeded to toss it aside and use his bare hands to punch Max in the face.

"Do you have any idea how many slaves I had to trade for the legion to give me that dino!? Do you!?" He said with rage while struggling with the young man "I'm gonna flay you and rip your guts out your damn mouth!"

He kept punching Max a few more times before grabbing his neck with both hands and squeezing it tightly.

"Max!"

Both Jerico and Rick tried to aid the young man, but Jerico ran out of arrows, and a few raiders had gathered around Rick, forcing him to fend them off with his machete. And to make matters worse, a brand new threat decided to show itself.

"It's the giant ants! ! !" Yelled one of the brigands in terror

Lured in by the sweet smell of fresh meat, a massive swarm of Titanomyrmas marched into the encampment. They slowly moved in to devour any corpse and individual unlucky enough to get caught in their jaws that they could find.

"(Those things again!?)" Thought Rick while looking at them, then at the encampment filled with dead raiders and dinosaurs "(Did they come here because of all the bodies!?)"

"Run away!"

The raiders abandoned the burning tents and battle alike and chose to run away for dear life, with Rick being forced to move away as well to not get caught by the overwhelming swarm.

The leader of the raiders didn't seem to mind this, though. He was too focused on Max to care about some ants. His hands were held tightly against the young man's neck, cutting his supply of oxigen as he choked and struggled to break free in vain as the swarm came closer to them.

Max attempted to grab his metal hatchet, but his hand could not reach it. He kept struggling for his fingers to grasp the wooden handle until someone suddenly stepped in and took a hold of the hatchet.

"Hey!"

The leader of the raiders suddenly raised his head and saw Alex holding a metal hatchet high up.

"Leave him alone!"

The sportsman attacked without hesitation, forcing the man clad in chitin armor to get back up and step back to avoid it. But before he could pull out a weapon of his own, Alex dashed forward and kept hacking at him. His attacks were slower than Max's, but they packed a lot more power in them. On the last attack, the brigand's weapon was smacked out of his grasp, forcing him to use his forearms to stop the hatchet instead. But this struggle was short-lived, as Alex's simply needed to pull his weapon back, making his enemy's arms move forward and spread out, leaving him wide open. With a swift circling move of his arm and wrist, Alex delivered one final powerful hatchet strike that landed right in his left trapezius; The metal digging deep into his flesh all the way to his clavicle as blood poured out like a fountain.

The leader of the raiders looked with widened eyes at his injury before looking again at Alex, who didn't hold even a fraction of the fear or hesitation that once plagued his mind; His breathing deep as he pulled out the hatchet, allowing even more blood to pour out as he walked backwards and stumbling before falling on his back.

Unfortunately for him, the brigand's fall was cushioned by the swarm of Titanomyrmas, which didn't hesitate in the least to feast upon him, Alex watched in shock as the giant ants climbed on top of him and began to devour him between screams as he was still alive before being unable to bear the view any longer and turned his head to look at Max, who was getting back up on his feet.

"Hey, Max!" He said while walking closer "Are you okay!?"

"Yeah...I'm okay..." Replied the young man among heavy breathing "Thanks..."

Max looked at Alex for a moment, and the sportsman simply lowered his gaze. The young man wanted to say something that could help Alex feel a little better right now, but he wasn't all too sure what words to say that wouldn't sound heartless. If he did, he probably would have told them to himself quite a long time ago.

"What are you guys doing!? Get the hell out of there!" Yelled Rick

As the two men snapped out of their thoughts, they remembered the incoming swarm of giant ants and quickly ran away; Max carrying Torito in one arm and Wilson under the other. Both of them regrouped with Eddy, Jerico, Rick, the still-tied raider and the other two prisoners before they all ran away from the destroyed encampment. The sound of fire and the screams of the raiders who were either dying or running away for dear life being left far behind like a distant memory.

*Scene*

With the leader of the raiders now dead, the surviving bandits quickly left the Redwoods in a hurry, some quickly seeking to escape the dangerous wildlife or to go back to their own tribes. A few joined up in smaller groups, but they would pose no threat to the trading groups and to traveling survivors with a decent idea of how to defend themselves.

The young raider who Jerico's group captured was also allowed to leave freely shortly after as a reward for guiding them to the encampment. And despite his initially punk-ish and challenging attitude, he showed to be extremely grateful for it as he left. The thought that he might try and come back to attack them with some other raiders was in the minds of more than one, but Jerico and Eddy felt like that wouldn't be the case. The others didn't share that sentiment, but they had already done their fair share of killing and didn't want to spill any more blood for today at least.

As for Jerico's group themselves, they returned safely to the treehouse along with the two escaped prisoners. Everyone was glad to see them coming back safely, but the mood wasn't exactly a very cheerful one.

That same day, they gave Jeff a proper burial; This was followed by the escaped prisoners being escorted by Jerico back to their own treehouse base, but not before they gave their proper thanks to him and the others.

"I'm no veterinarian, but I don't see anything wrong with the membrane" Said Harold while taking a look at Torito's pierced wing, then at Jerico as he held the small flyer "He should be able to heal up properly and fly with no trouble in a couple of weeks"

"Rippers!" Replied the cowboy-ish man with a mixture of relief and cheerfulness before looking at his small companion in his arms "Ain't that great, Torito!?"

Torito replied with a shrieking sound that seemed cheerful, so everyone assumed he was happy as well.

"Of course he would heal..."

both men turned their heads to look at Eddy, who until now was quietly drinking soy milk from a cup; His expression seemingly calm but his ears and eyes focused on their conversation so far.

"That shrimp's just as much of a stubborn fighter as his fool of a teammate; No way in hell something like that would keep it down for good"

Jerico and Harold smiled at Eddy who, although in his own curious way to vaguely insult Jerico, tried to contribute to the happy mood created by Torito's high chance of recovery.

"Damn right!"

As the trio celebrated the happy news, the voices of the others could be heard from the kitchen along with clattering sounds.

"Hey, is it okay like this?"

"Hm...Let me see..." Said Norman, followed by a short silence before his voice could be heard again "That's no good, Lily. You need to keep mixing it until the dough becomes more solid"

"Okay!" Replied the young woman with a seemingly more determined tone before the sounds of mixing became stronger than before

"Alice, make sure not to place too much butter. It could potentially ruin the whole mix"

"Ye-Yes!"

"Hey, Norman. Is the oven okay like this?" Asked Rick this time, who seemed to be handling the baking oven

"Ah, yes...It seems to have properly pre-heated" Replied the indian man with a pleased ton before speaking to Lily again "Lily. Once you're done with the dough, help Alice with the mix. We'll need to wait at least an hour before placing the first batch"

"Yes!"

"Rick, would you mind collecting some more dry firewood from the storage? I'd like to have some spare fuel just in case"

"Okay, I'll be right back"

Shortly after, the sailor walked out into the dining room in order to make his way to the storage area, meeting up with the trio on his way.

"Sounds to me like the cooking is really going off nicely, eh?"

"Yeah, sorry about the mess" Replied Rick to the cowboy-ish man while scratching the back of his head

"No worries, mate; If anything, I ought to thank you" Said jerico with a mix of lax and cheerful "It's been a while since I've seen curry muncher being that cheerful"

"He's probably happy to have someone to cook with" Added Harold

In the treehouse base, the tasks were each given to an individual person to handle on their own. Harold was tasked to take care of the crop plots on the roof, Jeff was in charge of keeping track of the supplies, Eddy and jerico usually switched between keeping the base safe and hunting for meat, and Norman was in charge of cooking.

Though he never said it, the indian man always cherished the idea of cooking alongside other people. So having the chance to share his knowledge of recipes and prepare them alongside someone who showed genuine excitement at the idea was exilarating for him.

"The kitchen suits you just fine, if you ask me" Said Eddy while looking at the sailor with a smug smirk "Maybe you should start wearing an apron while you're at it. I bet it would look real good on your girly ass"

Rick turned his head to look at the chitin-armored man with an irritated expression before simply closing his eyes and retorting with an equally smug expression.

"At least that would suit ME better than that goofy hat of yours" He said before shrugging "Then again, at least it covers that nasty mug of yours"

A vein became more prominent on Eddy's forehead as he got up and snarled back at Rick, this time not even bothering to hide his irritation.

"Wanna come here and say that to my face, semean!?"

"Any day, caveman!"

The two men were already on full argument and going at each other's throat, which had turned into a surprisingly common thing to see over the last couple of days.

"Do you guys seriously need to do this ALL the time?" Asked Harold while looking at them and sweat dropping

"Hey, he started it!" Snarled both men at the same time with a very good synch and equal irritation while pointing at each other with one index finger

"You guys are already good mates, ain't ya?" Said Jerico while giving both of them a lax smile

"Like hell we are!" Snarled the two of them, once again with an almost perfect synch

Although many saw Eddy and Rick's constant fighting as them hating each other, Jerico had the feeling that was just their way to get along with each other. Of course, the two men probably wouldn't admit to it, or might just not be aware of it.

"Oh, forget it...!" Said Eddy while sitting once again and closing his eyes in an attempt to ignore the sailor

"Whatever..." Replied Rick while looking away as well

"A-Anyway, how are those two doing?" Asked Harold to change the subject and lower the tensions a bit

"Oh...Right..."

The sailor's mood changed rather abruptly into one of slight despondence. Over the last couple of days, both Jerico and Alex's group focused on recovering from the injuries caused by battle against the raiders, both physically and mentally.

The trio in particularily was notably affected by the haunting thoughts of their actions after the danger and fear were left behind, and after Jeff's burial, Jerico offered to let them stay for as long as they needed as way to thank them for their help in making the forest a little bit safer for trading groups.

"Max is already mostly back to normal, or at least to how he usually is like...As for Alex...He's still down in the dumps"

Rick was somewhat able to recover the fastest thanks to his mind being constantly kept busy by helping out with the hunt for food or even with the constant fights he had with Eddy; Both of them serving as a good way to keep the haunting thoughts at bay and giving his mind proper time to come to terms with what he did, and to accept what he did it for. It was hard to tell if Max was recovering from the battle or not due to his reserved and distant way of acting towards others giving few hints, but this as well was a sign he had probably managed to accept what he did, or that he was forcing himself to not think about it.

As for Alex, things weren't going quite as well. Ever since their return, he became more quiet and dejected, hardly showing the enthusiasm that once made him shine so brightly even in this desperate situation.

He was the one who wished for people to work together so everyone could find a way out of the island, and the mere idea of people killing eachother was something he found preposterous. But even so, fear and anger ended up forcing him into tossing those principles away and showing them just how fragile his beliefs truly were. And not only that, but the very first human he was forced to kill was one that looked at him straight in the eyes as life slowly vanished away from them before having to hear his blood-chilling screams of pain as he was eaten alive by giant ants in front of him.

The mere act of killing was already something hard to live down, but that was downright traumatic no matter how you looked at it.

"Don't worry, mate. That guy is hard as nails" Said Jerico to cheer up the sailor

"That's right; I'm sure all he needs right now is some time" Added Harold

Jerico's group knew very well how Alex and the others were feeling right now. Things weren't always as easy for them as they were now, and the struggle for survival drove them into doing things that no normal person would do in a stable society. Killing other humans, even if it was in self-defense, wasn't something easy to do for any of them at first, but they probably wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for that decision.

Rick wanted to help Alex cheer up, but how exactly would he do that? What could he say to ease the sportsman's mind when he was still struggling to find something to say to himself on an almost daily basis?

Unfortunately, all he could do right now was heed Jerico and Harold's advice and hope for the best.

Meanwhile, Alex was hanging around the small garden on the roof of the treehouse base, sitting on top of a wooden box while looking after the preserving campfire as it dried the wheat cultivated in that very same garden, which he offered himself to do as a temporary job in place of Harold. It wasn't something the others requested of him or that was even needed to stay in the garden, but he offered himself to do it anyway, saying it wouldn't feel okay to just sit around doing nothing.

He had no particular reason to be in the garden or to want such a job, but right now he felt like the peace and quiet that came with it would suit him better. Of course, one could argue he could easily just sit outside the base on the edge of the platform since the view wasn't very different, but after what happened, there was no way he could feel at ease in such a place.

His gaze remained focused on the large trees for a few moments before his eyes lowered to look at the metal hatchet on his hand. The blood that once stained it cleaned neatly out of the metal, but still quite visible in the sportsman's mind.

He didn't regret what he did. Otherwise, then the leader of the raiders would have most likely killed Max, and then killed him and everyone else as well. But even so, he still couldn't get it out of his mind. The feeling of doubt, wondering if that really was the only choice available.

Just how was he supposed to face his parents, his siblings, or even the other students who survived the shipwreck and tell them he and his group killed other human beings? Some would probably put that aside due to the need to survive being a greater concern, but they would definitely ostracize him and his group and see them as nothing more than a bunch of murderers.

As the sportsman lost himself in thought, he failed to notice Max's presence; The young man quietly looking at his usually cheerful friend, who was now so quiet one would think he lost his tongue. A part of Max wanted to help Alex cheer up, but he was terrible when it came to that sort of thing. Usually Alex was the one to cheer up others and motivate them. And even if he tried, it was very likely that Rick, Jerico and Lily already said anything he could come up with that could sound mildly motivating.

Meanwhile, Wilson alternated between looking at the two of them. Both pondering about slightly different matters, but carrying an equal uncertainty that was stopping both of them right in their tracks. The bird didn't understand what was holding them back, but what it did know was that a little push was needed right now, and he didn't hesitate to give that push by doing a loud and clear chirp to snap both of them out of their trances.

Alex quickly turned his head to notice Max and Wilson looking at him, the young man notably surprised by the Dodo's sudden chirping, but his stare focused on the sportsman.

"Oh...Hey there, Max" He said with slight surprise

"Hey..."

Max could only give an awkward reply, as he had no idea what to say right now. Fortunately, his eyes took notice of the dry wheat hanging over the campfire and commented on it.

"I think that wheat is already dried up..." Said the young man while pointing at it, causing Alex to turn his head to look at it

"Oh, crap; You're right!" Replied Alex while quickly getting up from the box and removing the dry wheat, then putting it on a bag before hanging up a fresh batch "Thanks"

"No...It's okay..."

The silence took hold for a moment longer of this rather awkward conversation before the sportsman turned his head to look at his friend and spoke once more.

"So...What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

"No, I was just..." Said Max before taking a short pause while looking at Wilson, who was staring at him intently, as if wanting him to get on with it already, then resuming "...I just wanted to know if I could sit here"

"Oh...Sure, go right ahead"

Alex moved slightly to the left, allowing him some room to sit down in the next box. Both of them silently looking at the wheat dry up before Wilson pressed his head against Max's calf in an attempt to force him out of the silence once more.

"(You're a very pushy bird, you know that?)" He thought while looking at it

Max was still uncertain as to what to say, but the Dodo would most likely keep insisting until he said something. Looking around him, the young man caught sight of his bow in the corner of his eye, which made him recall the very first man he killed.

He now realized there was something he could say.

"Hey, Alex...Did I ever tell you how I got this bow?"

"Got your bow?" Aksed Alex while looking at his friend "Didn't you make it?"

The young man took a short pause as his eyes looked down, then at the fire, before speaking.

"Back when I was hanging around the shores with Wilson, he got attacked by four Dilos... I killed them all, but what I didn't know was that they were someone else's tames" Explained Max, his eyes focused on the crackling fire "They belonged to a man who used them as something like hunting hounds to maul around Dodos, though he seemed to do it more for fun than for food, and he tried to kill me in retaliation for what I did"

Alex didn't say a thing, he simply looked at Max and quietly listened to his every words; A heavy feeling in his throat telling him how this story most likely ended.

"At first I ran away, but he gave chase all the way to a cliff and forced me into a fight..." Explained the young man while looking at the sharpened stone tip that was once the spear used for his first kill, now refashioned into a ramshackle dagger by fastening it to a small wooden handle "In a panic, I tried to fend him off with my spear and ended up stabbing him in the heart by accident...Not even once his eyes diverted away from mine as he slipped and fell off into the ocean"

The sportsman was shocked by what he just heard. He already knew that something bad must have happened to Max in order for him to end up the way he was right now, but he didn't imagine it could be such a thing.

Max didn't want to fight. He even tried to avoid it by running away, but this person didn't allow it; He forced him to fight, forced him to defend himself and end up turning into a killer by accident, and all of it because he simply defended himself and his Dodo from an indiscrimitate attack by his "hunting hounds".

"Sometimes people just won't give you a choice, Alex; No matter how hard you try..."

"Max..."

The weight of another person's life, the horrible feeling of their warm blood staining your hands and the haunting look in their eyes that they give you as they die. All these things Alex was burdened with right now, Max had to carry all by himself this entire time. This was most likely the reason he avoided other people so much, and why he always acted so wary of even his own group.

"Hey, you two!"

Before Alex could say anything else, Harold's voice caught the attention of both men, causing them to turn their heads and look at him as he approached them.

"We've got some folks visiting, you guys"

"Visits?"

"Yeah, and they're saying they want to talk with you"

Alex and Max looked at each other with confusion before looking at Harold once again. Neither of them was sure what harold meant by visitors until they went back down with Harold and and found their supposed visitors, who were in fact the two men they helped escape from the raiders. They were sitting down around the table with Jerico and Eddy.

"You're...The guys from back then" Said the sportsman as he walked into the hall and got a look at both of them

"Ah; There you are, boy" said the older of both men, who seemed glad to see him "You seem to be in good health"

"I can see a few scratches here and there, but they do compliment your muscular build nicely despite your young face" Added the second man with one hand on his chin and a smirk "I'd say it's worth a six...maybe seven out of ten"

"Erm...Thanks?"

Alex was already surprised to see them, but the sudden rating of appearance was certainly even more unexpected. This didn't distract him for too long from the main doubt in his mind, though;

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, we were originally here to see if you and your friends were doing any better..." Explained Frederick to him before looking at Jerico "But after talking with your friend here, I feel like we can do something better than that"

"What are you talking about?"

"A brave journey from one obelisk to the other, searching the unknown structures for a way to help your friends and fellow classmates make their way back home to their loving families" Said Jordan while making it sound like a poem "Such an earnest quest and an honest heart reflects on what makes youth such a beautiful thing to behold, and I believe that this is worth quite a good score...But with that said, your haste and lack of preparation for this perilous journey makes it even more dangerous, and thus such reckless behavior forces me to lower your score down to a five out of ten"

Everyione looked in silence at Jordan once more for a few moments before Frederick spoke again.

"I'm sorry about Jordan; He has this odd habit of rating things all the time" Said the middle-aged man with his eyes closed while sweat dropping

"You just don't have a proper sense of style like mine, Frederick" Replied Jordan with a confident smirk "If there's beauty in something, then it must be properly acknowledged with a high score, and if there's something that smears that beauty, then it must be reprimanded with a low score; That is my perception of style"

"Either way; Putting Jordan's sense of fashion aside..." He said while trying to put the conversation back on the main topic "This man told us about your journey to the blue obeliks, and I think we can help you and your group out with that"

"Really!?"

Up to this point the sportsman was confused, but hearing Frederick's proposition to help them in their journey to the last obelisk was a big surprise.

"Hey, boy; Do you know what the place where the blue obelisk is located is like?" Asked Jordan this time

"I'm pretty sure it's filled with dangerous dinosaurs, right?"

"In that you're right, but that's only half the problem here"

"What do you mean?"

"There are indeed large amounts of dangerous animals in the area around the blue obelisk, but the real problem is the area itself" Explained Frederick "Unlike the red and green obelisks, the blue obelisk is at the top of a mountain in the middle of an arctic region called "the snow biome""

"The snow biome..."

"Not only are the animals in that place even more vicious than in other places of the island, but the temperature is constantly well under -20°" Said Jordan, adding up to the explanation of the dangers one could find in the snow biome "Without proper gear or a good resilience against the cold, you would freeze to death in just a few hours"

Alex broke a cold sweat just by imagining it. The idea of walking a tundra so cold your limbs go numb and your breath looks like steam, your skin turning blue and the very blood in your veins freezing solid as the last inches of life are drained out of your cold, motionless body laying down on the snow, was one he'd rather not experience first-hand.

"Of course, there are ways to survive in the snow biome's harsh climates" Said the middle-aged man, snapping him out of his chilly mental image "If you have a though body, you can withstand the temperatures with hide clothing, though most people prefer to rely on fur armor"

"Okay then...So how does that help us?"

"Don't be impatient, boy. We're getting there" Said Jordan with a smile

"Since you have been living with this group for a few days now, I imagine you already have an idea of how trading groups are established around here, right?" Explained Frederick, waiting for Alex to nod before continuing "The group we belong to specializes in manufacturing clothing"

"Don't let the wrinkled old face fool you; this mister here is quite the skilled tailor" Added the curly-haired man with a wink while placing one hand on Frederick's shoulder

"Let me remind you, your age isn't that much lesser than mine..." Said the middle-aged man while looking at his companion with an unamused expression

"Age is nothing but a number of the mind, I told you that already. One is only as old as they feel" Replied Jordan with a confident smirk before doing a diva pose "which is why I'm always dazzling with this youthful look of mine!"

Everyone looked at the curly-haired man in silence. Alex sweat dropped while Max simply retained his unamused expression; Even Jerico and Eddy were at a loss of words right now.

"(I guess there's all kinds of people in this island...)"

"Anyway, as I was saying..." Said Frederick after clearing his throat "Our trader group specializes in clothing, including fur gear, so we can prepare enough sets for you and your friends to safely traverse the snow biome"

"Are you sure about that?"

"You and your friends had no need or obligation to save us, and yet you took the risk anyway without even asking for a reward. It's the least we can do"

"That sort of kindness isn't impossible to see around here, but it's certainly a rare sight. So I'd say it's worth an eight out of ten"

A sense of relief coursed through Alex as he looked at the two men who were offering him and his group their unconditional help in return for their kindness. The raiders left a bad aftertaste in his mind, but this requite from them helped wash it away.

"In that case, I'll be relying on you" Said the sportsman, an honest smile on his face appearing for the first time in days

At the same time, Alice and Lily walked into the room whike holding wooden bowls filled with biscuits. Both of them quite cheerful and followed by Norman and Rick.

"Everyone! They're done!"

Lily placed the bowl she was carrying on the wooden table for everyone to take a snack while Alice quickly took hers to Alex in order to show him the fruits of her effort.

"Look, Alex! Mister Norman and Lily and Rick helped me make them!" Said the little girl, a notable sense of joy and pride in her tone

"Don't be so modest, young girl; Those are the results of your own effort"

Out of the table, the first one to take a biscuit from the bowl for a bite was Jerico, followed by Eddy and then Harold.

"Strewth, these are rippers!"

"Not bad for someone's first try...could be a little better, though"

"Says the guy that nearly burned down the whole tree while trying to cook Phiomia ribs"

"That was only one time, Harold!"

"Oh...! Such a great taste, reflecting the effort of a well followed recipe and kindness of a gentle heart poured into it!" Said Jordan as he took a bite with great glee "Without a doubt this deserves a high rating of nine out of ten!"

"Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!" Replied the young woman with a smile

"Hey, Alex! Try them out too!"

The sportsman's attention was suddenly diverted from the conversation taking place around the table to Alice, who was extending the bowl on her hands towards him, eager for him to take one of the biscuits she worked so hard to prepare and tell her what he thought about it.

Alex was quick to comply and took one of the many small snacks before eating it in one bite. Despite looking like a simple thing at first sight, the crunchy texture was surprisingly pleasant to bite into and the taste was sweet like honey, probably an ingredient used to give it a better taste and the explanation for the orange/golden-ish texture of the small baked goods.

"It's...It's good! Really good!" He said with a mixture of joy and surprise

Looking at Alice, it was easy to tell she was both glad and happy to hear of his approval. Although Norman's expertise was most likely an important factor in the huge success of these snacks, Alice and Lily must have worked hard to make them.

"By the way, why the sudden interest in biscuits?" Asked Eddy while looking at both girls

"Well, it's just that everyone looked really gloomy after coming back the other day..." Explained Lily with her smile still there, but her eyes slightly downcast before looking at everyone "We wanted to try and help cheering everyone up, and Norman said the best way to do that was with good food; So we decided to make lots of biscuits together!"

Hearing the young woman's explanation helped make the snacks they were eating feel much more meaningful. It probably didn't seem like that big of a deal when looking at the big picture, but small details such as those were usually the ones to have the greatest positive impact on morale.

"Certainly, good food that resonates with a person's palate can bring some comfort to the anxious mind" Said Jordan with his eyes closed and a pleased expression

"(Comfort to the mind...)" Thought Alex while looking at the bowl before turning his head to look at Max "Hey, Max. Do you want one...Eh?"

Up until now, he was too focused on the conversation taking place at the moment and only now just realized the young man was nowhere to be seen.

"Whe-Where did Max go?"

"I think I saw him going back up to the second floor" Replied Harold, who recalled catching a glimpse of him going up to the second floor "Maybe he wants to check up on the leftover wheat or something?"

"Now that you mention it, I forgot to take it down before coming down..." Said the sportsman while sweat dropping

Part of Alex hoped it would be just that, but another part knew Max most likely wanted to get away from the group of people gathered in the room.

"Man, that guy is like a ninja..." Said Rick while sweat dropping as well

Looking again at Alice, Alex saw her expression was one of dejection. He was already beginning to understand the reasoning behind Max's behavior, but the little girl was still none the wiser about it.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to save a few for him later" He said while patting the little girl in the head

Fortunately, attempt to comfort her worked, evidenced by how she slowly cheered back up after raising her head to look at him.

It was at this moment that Alex came to realize something.

What he did, the blood he spilled. It was for the sake of this moment, to make this moment possible. Killing others was a horrible thing to do, and nothing would change that, but as long as he had Alice and the rest of his group, as long as he had something he wished to protect, he would be able to keep a steady grip on his weapon.

"That boy...I didn't notice it before, but he has quite the somber eyes" Said Frederick while looking at the doorframe with a stern expression before his gaze focused on Alex "I don't suppose it's because of what happened with the raiders?"

"No...Something else happened...Though it was before we reunited with him after the shipwreck, so I'm not too sure"

The sportsman's words counted as more of a half-lie than a fully honest answer, but he wasn't sure if openly talking about the things Max told him earlier was a good idea. The young man did seem to have a hard time opening up about it, after all; Having everyone else know about it without his consent would definitely end up making things take a turn for the worse.

For now, at least, he would keep it to himself.

"I see..." Replied the middle-aged man "Regrettably, that's a very commonplace thing in this island..."

"Even so, you have to admit it's still a rather awful thing to see..." Added Jordan with a troubled expression "It honestly reminds me of that girl Bjorn took in"

"That girl?" Asked Rick after the curly-haired man's last words caught his curiosity

"Due to our trade requiring large amounts of materials like hide, pelt and fiber to craft or repair clothing, we usually trade goods like food or other raw materials obtained in exchange of our services with smaller tribes to get them; One tribe in particular we get most of our hide and pelt from lives in the snow biome" Explained Frederick to Alex and Jerico's group "That tribe is called "the nordic pelts" and they're led by a man called Bjorn. Also, he recently took in a young woman under his care"

"She's a petite girl with long silver hair and small frame glasses. She was also wearing the same uniform as yours, but with a bit of added leather and fur for obvious reasons" Added Jordan "I'd honestly give her a good rating if it weren't for those cold eyes of hers..."

"So she's a student too?" Asked Alex with a surprised tone "What is her name?"

"We didn't talk with her personally, but I recall Bjorn and the other tribesman calling her "Dahlia""

At that moment the sportsman approached the table in just a split second, hardly giving both men any time to react

"Dahlia Uchenyy!?"

"We-well, we didn't get the last name, but I haven't met any other person with that particular last name...So It's possible" Replied the startled Frederick.

"Please, tell me where to find this tribe! I need to talk with her about something!"

"Haste, boy, haste. Remember?" Said placing both hand in front of him, gesturing to stop.

"H-Huh?"

"Seriously now, did my earlier rating go out through the other ear already?"

It took a short moment before Alex remembered Jordan pointing out how he was reckless and that would potentially endanger his group due to going straight into danger unprepared.

"Oh...Sorry..." He said, now taking a more calm stance and tone as his stare became downcast for a moment before looking again at both men "But I really need to know where to find this tribe you're talking about...If Dahlia is there, then I have to talk with her"

"I see..."

Frederick looked quietly at the sportsman, wondering what is it that could drive him so badly into seeking out Dahlia. What could the girl whose eyes were just as cold as the snow that covered the whole biome. It definitely had to be something important for him to be in such a hurry. Perhaps it was related to the obelisks, or maybe even to his friend. Maybe she had the answers hidden away by the obelisks or a way to make those somber eyes regain what they lost. Either one would definitely be more than enough incent for him to venture into the snow biome.

"Well...Making full sets of fur clothing for all of your group will definitely eat through our supply of pelt, meaning we'll definitely need to re-stock afterwards; So how about this?" Replied Frederick, who carefully tought about it before presenting this proposal to him "In exchange of guiding you to Bjorn's tribe, you'll act as bodyguards for the caravan"

"Bodyguards?"

"Most of the time it'll be about fending off any animal attacks; Similar to the traveling you've been doing so far, but the use of tames will make traveling take less time" Explained the middle-aged man to give them a general idea of the job "Raiders are definitely going to be a problem too, but they are usually lurking around thick forests and shortcuts, though those are mostly easy to avoid as long as you know the terrain well"

"What do you guys say?" Asked Alex while turning his head to look at the members of his group

Alex had already set his mind on going, but first he wanted to hear the thoughts of those that would go along with him

"I can't say I'm excited about jumping back into the wild, but it's not like we can stay here forever either" Replied Rick while shrugging "Besides, having mounts is definitely a lot safer than going on foot"

"I don't really mind traveling again as long as we can all stay together"

"I can't fight wild animals like everyone else does, but I'll do my best!"

"I see...Thank you, everyone" Replied the sportsman with a sense of relief

"Wait, but what about Max?" Asked Lily

Although pretty much everyone agreed with Frederick's proposition, there was still Max's opinion to be taken into account. Even if Alex could just talk him into it later like he always did, the young woman felt like at least hearing his oppinion first was important too.

"You're right. I should go ask him"

Alex turned around and took a quick trip back to the rooftop garden to tell Max about the news. Fortunately, he found it without too much problem, as he was tending to the wheat just like Harold had assumed.

After a conversation that took probably a few minutes, he went back to the dinning room to tell everyone the final decision.

"Alright, we decided" Said Alex while looking at Frederick with a confident expression "We'll take you up on your offer"

*Scene*

A few days went by after the deal between Alex's group and Frederick. And during that time, the middle-aged man made sure to do good on his word by preparing and working on the fur gear he promised them. Of course, this required the sportsman and his group to take a visit to their own base in order to take their measures and make the outfits fit them comfortably. Alex and the others had no problem in doing so, although Max's measurements were a bit tricker to take due to his aversion towards being approached by unknown people. Fortunately, Alex was able to take them in Frederick's place after a short course on which measurements he needed.

Their base was mostly the same as Jerico's except that instead of a large, fully equipped kitchen, they had storage rooms filled with raw materials such as fiber, cotton, fabric and pelt along with a room that had a spinning mule, a tanning rack and a table with a sewing machine. This being Frederick's work station.

Jordan, being the one in charge of dyes and decorative design in garments, also had a room for his craft; It was filled with dyes and tools meant both to craft them or to mix them using berries, sparkpowder and charcoal. All of them kept safely within containers. It was a colorful room, but the pungent smell made it difficult for Alex and the others to stay within it for too long. Lily, on the other hand, hardly seemed to mind the odor due to her nose growing accustomed to strong smells thanks to the materials she had to use for her artworks or the chemicals used to clean up her tools after classes over the years.

The crafting of the outfits was lenghty and required patience, but they were done in less than a week, allowing the preparations for the journey to the snow biome to take place right afterwards. With the small caravan consisting of one Stegosaurus and three Parasauruses.

"And...Up we go!" Said Alex as he lifted up the wooden box, given to him by Max, before putting it with the others at the back of the Stegosaurus's saddle, then securing it in place with ropes before wiping the sweat off of his forehead "There. That should be the last one"

"Good work." Replied the middle-aged man, who was checking the straps on the saddle of the beast of burden were tightly fit "Once I finish checking out our own supplies, we should be able to be on our way"

On the meanwhile, Rick did the same duty but on the saddle of the duck-billed dinos while Lily gave the Stegosaurus some much needed food and water for the long journey ahead, along with a small caress on the animal's head, of course. And Alice helped out with the boxes by making knots that would keep them from slipping off and remain steady. While doing so, one of the lids slipped open, allowing her to take a peek into the contents.

"Corn and carrots?" Said the little girl with a curious look in her eyes

"Ah, yes" Replied Frederick while turning his head to look at her "They're for the trade with the nordic pelts, so please refrain from eating them"

"Ye-yes!"

Alice quickly closed the lid back and secured the box with rope with the help of Alex.

"So we're taking vegetables to those guys?" Asked the sailor while walking closer to the middle-aged man "I thought your specialty was clothes"

"Indeed it is, but that's also part of the business" Said Jordan, causing everyone's head to turn and look at him "After all, there's only a limit to how much one set of goods can do"

Everyone was surprised, but not because of the curly-haired man. Rather, the surprise was from seeing Jerico's group being escorted by him.

"Everyone. We have some visitors!"

"Jerico? Did something happen?"

"Not at all, mate" Replied Jerico to him

"Jordan told us you were almost ready to leave, so we wanted to give you and your friends a proper goodbye" Added Norman, who was carrying a small hide bag filled with freshly made biscuits.

The indian man was the first one to take a step forward, giving his gift to Lily and Alice.

"Here, my friends. It's not much, but I hope this will be of use to you during your journey" He said while smiling at them

"Thank you, Norman!"

"We'll make sure to share them with everyone else!"

"I wish you the best of luck in your travels"

Despite how simple of a gift it might seem, Alice and Lily were particularly fond of the simple snack, making the gesture a much more meaningful one for them.

"Well, I can't say it wasn't a bit rowdy, but it sure was nice having you folk hanging around while it lasted" Said Jerico to Alex while tipping his hat "Don't be a stranger and come by to visit again, eh?"

"Don't worry. We will" Replied the sportsman with a confident expression while nodding "If anything, I should be thanking you for helping us out the other day. We would probably still be walking around in circles, or worse, if it weren't for you"

"No worries, mate. You guys did us a big solid by helping out with those bogans too, after all" Replied back the cowboy-ish man "Make sure you look after eachother from now on, okay?"

The sporstman nodded in agreement to Jerico's advice, showing confidence in his decision.

Meanwhile, Eddy took it upon himself to approach Rick and give him a farwell in the way he knew how.

"Guess you're leaving now..."

"Yeah, we are..."

A short and somewhat awkward moment of silence went by as both men looked at each other before Eddy simply closed his eyes.

"Oh, well. I was getting fed up with you freeloaders anyway"

"Hey, now" Replied the sailor with a slight irritation but with a slight sweat dropp as well

"Either way, don't go getting killed out there" He said while turning around to walk away while waving one hand "Making graves is a pain in the ass"

The sailor felt confused at first, but it didn't take long for him to understand that was, in Eddy's terms, an indirect way to tell him and his group to take care out there. Considering the less than friendly way they got along with eachother for a while now, that was kind of nice, even if said in his usually irritating way.

"Hmph...Cheeky bastard..." He said with a smirk

"Alright, everyone! We're ready to go!"

Following the middle-aged man's words, Alex's group got up on the dinos, with Alex and Rick mounting two of the duck-billed dinosaurs while Alice and Lily got up on the Stegosaurus's back. But before Max could get up on his mount, he was intercepted by Jerico.

"Before you go, I just wanted to thank you again for saving Torito"

"...I was just getting even..."

"I see...Makes sense to me..."

The young man walked past Jerico, but not without getting a few last words out.

"Oh, and by the way..." Said the cowboy-ish man with one hand on his hat "I'm not gonna ask how you got it, but I'd be careful with that new legion insignia if I were you. People could get the wrong idea if they see it"

Max's eyes widened in shock when hearing this, causing him to even turn his head around to look at Jerico. He hardly took out the coin to check it out during his time in the Redwoods, only doing so after making sure he was by himself and away from others.

"Well then...Have a safe journey" Said Jerico before walking away

"Hey, Max. What's the hold up?" Asked Alex while turning his head to look at him

Max stared at Jerico for a moment longer before finally facing forward again and getting on top of his mount.

"Have a safe trip, you boys and girls"

"You're not coming with us?" Asked Rick to Jordan, who was standing with Jerico's group.

"As fun as roadtrips can be, I'm afraid I'll have to pass on this one" Replied the curly-haired man with his left hand placed on his cheek and chin, along with the other hand supporting his left elbow "The cold wind is bad for my skin, you see. And someone needs to stay behind to look after the base too"

Jordan turned his head from the Sailor to look at Lily this time.

"Lily, Alice, my dear girls. Make sure to cover yourselves properly while on the snow biome. It would be a disaster if the harsh cold ruined your youthful skin" He said to them with a raised finger "And don't forget to wash your hair often too. Even without shampoo, properly washing it should keep it healthy and shinny"

"Yes!"

"(Is he their stylist or something?)" Thought Rick while looking at them and sweat dropping

"Okay. Let's get going..."

With one move of the reins, Frederick caused the Stegosaurus to begin moving forward, followed by Alex and Rick on both sides along with Max guarding the rear while Alice and Lily rode on the beast of burden with him, taking care of the trade supplies. Jerico's group watching them move further and further away until they were out of their field of sight.

Silence ruled over for a while as the small convoy moved through the forests, slowly but steadily making their way with their mounts.

"How are you guys holding up so far?"

"It's...a new feeling..." Replied Alex while looking at his mount

Neither Alex, Rick or Max had any experience using saddles, making the ride uncomfortable at first, but the quick lesson given to them by the middle-aged man, along with the calm and obedient disposition of the dinos themselves, made the task manageable to a certain degree. Max in particular had slightly less room to sit on due to Wilson taking some space right behind him, but the young man didn't seem to mind. Perhaps the reason for this being that the other choice would be making the bird go with Lily and Alice on the Stego's back.

"We should be making it out of the Redwoods anytime now"

True to the middle-aged man's words, the massive forest of equally titanic trees began to turn fewer and fewer the more they progressed, their large branches and leaves no more obscuring the bright sun until they finally reached the outskirts. A large river spreading from one side to the other, separating the massive trees from the normal-sized forest.

Though it was deep up to some point, the river proved to be no more than a short obstacle to the tames, which safely swam from one side to the other in a matter of minutes. The convoy ventured through a large crevice with forest on top of both rock walls. None of them would say it, but the sight of a normal-sized forest was a refreshing feeling. Partly due to the fact it didn't make them feel minuscule in comparison.

After what felt like probably an hour and half or so of travel, the group came along a second river. This one being smaller in comparison, but with a larger amount of rock formations lining the sides and many trees surrounding it. Herbivores wandered around in the distance to feed from the grass or drink the water along with a few carnos and raptors, though the latter were too far away to be considered an inmediate threat and seemed more interested in chasing around the Gallinimuses for a meal.

"Hey, Frederick. Mind if I ask you something?" Asked the sailor as the convoy crossed the smaller river and kept making their way through the forest.

"Shoot"

"Back when Jordan said "there's only a limit to how much one set of goods can do", what did he mean?"

"As I said before, our group specializes in making clothing, but there's only so much we can get out of that" Explained the middle-aged man "Sometimes there's resources we need but can't get by ourselves, so we get them from small tribes that usually gather them in large amounts; And since there's no monetary system on the island, trading is the main form of economy around here, and the price depends only on how much that particular object is worth to the other party"

"And how does that system even work?" Asked Alex this time, who was growing curious about how this trading system worked properly in the first place

"Basically the island is divided in different groups and tribes. With the largest ones being the new legion, who has a monopoly on many resources due to their bases being located around the metal-rich mountains, and the golden Hesperonis, which are an equally large tribe that has a large amount of craftmen, along with a noteworthy mercenary army, though not as overwhelming as the new legion's, not to mention they also have a strong monopoly on the trade with mid-sized tribes that supply them both with manpower and resources; Both of them have small skirmishes every now and then, but it seems like they're not intending to wage a full-out war on each other yet"

"And this Bjorn person we're going to meet. Is his tribe also making business with those golden guys?"

"No. The nordic pelts belong to the smaller category. the tribes that, while capable of defending themselves from the animals in most cases, are unable to gather enough resources to meet the demands of the Golden Hesperonis like the mid-sized tribes and instead choose to trade or fight amongst each other" Kept explaining Frederick "Most of the time, though, they usually trade with us to avoid needless conflicts"

"So you and Jerico's group are something like mediators?"

"Not really. We're simply groups that couldn't become part of a tribe due to their lack of fighting skill or for different reasons and were instead forced to gang together in order to scrape by with small-scale trading; Then again, I guess you could say we're something akin to indirect middle-men sometimes, since some groups can get hired to transport the goods and negotiate in place of them"

"I see..."

"I can't say this is the fanciest or most comfortable way to live, but at least I have a way to make a living with..."

Both Alex and Rick looked at Frederick in silence for a moment. His words didn't seem to be lies, but there was something in his expression that showed gloom. Neither of them could really blame him, though; Having to live your life in a constant state of desperate struggle, having to scrape by with what little you can get and hope tomorrow won't be your last day, was no way for a human to live by.

After another hour or so of moving through a forest of thin trees and fending off random raptors that wandered too close, the convoy began to see the sandy shores becoming clearer to the west, but their sights were more focused on the massive blue obelisk to the nother, floating over the top of a massive mountain, which in itself was surrounded by a pure-white layer of snow that reached all the way to a few feet in front of them.

"Whoa..."

"So that's the snow biome..."

"Yeah..." Replied the middle-aged man while stopping his stego "Okay. We'll need to get changed into the fur clothing if we want to get any further than this"

Both Alex and Rick nodded in agreement and made their tames stop in place, allowing them to get down.

One by one, Frederick handed each member of the group their custom-made set of hide layered with fur to protect from the cold, but also remaining thin enough to make moving around in it easy.

Alex, Rick, Max and Frederick changed behind the Parasauruses while Alice and Lily did so on the back of the stego, using the animal's large scales as a way to have some privacy. All the while Wilson kept tight watch over the males to avoid any unwanted peeking.

Once everyone was properly dressed for the cold climates, they resumed their journey, venturing into the frozen lands. The overwhelming cold piercing deep into their bodies, despite the warm fur covering them stopping it just about enough to keep it from being lethal.

"Uwahhhh! I-It's really c-c-cold here!" Said Lily with both arms wrapped around her torso while shivering in place

"Damn, I knew you weren't joking when you said it was cold, but I didn't think it would be THIS cold..." Added Alex while shivering, his breath coming out like steam at this point.

"Yeah...The snow biome didn't get the name only because of the snow; The temperatures here are so ruthless even vegetation can't grow properly around this place"

In an attempt to keep herself warm, Lily got a hold of Alice and hugged her in the hopes that it would wam her up. Fortunately for her, the little girl's body temperature and her fur helped out, even if just a bit.

"Ahhhhh...Alice, you're so warm and fluffy!"

"Erm...I'm glad I can help, but It's still embarassing if you hug me so suddenly!" She replied with a slight blush

Alice herself couldn't deny the warmth of Lily's body helped withstand the cold better, and by all means she always appreciated the affection, but being huged like a teddy bear out in the open so suddenly and in front of so many people was still embarassing for her.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong, Lily?"

Alice, in her attempts to struggle for some breathing room, noticed a sudden change in the young woman's expression. Almost as if she had come to a sudden realization.

"Hey, mister Frederick"

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"You said the fur clothing is protecting us from the cold, but what about the dinosaurs? Aren't they cold?"

"Now that she mentions it, I didn't think about that either" Added Alex, who suddenly came to realize Lily had a good point.

Unlike any of them, the tames had no fur gear, nor did their saddles provide any protection from the elements, so it would stand to reason that they would be suffering the effects of this harsh climate, or at least feel them.

"Oddly enough, the animals in this island don't seem to be affected by the climate like we humans do"

"Wait...So you're telling us these creatures are inmune to the climate?"

"No. I'm pretty sure they're just resilient enough to withstand it without any severe repercutions" Replied the middle-aged man while looking at his Stego "With that said, they can probably still sufer the cold like any other living being; The smaller animals in particular tend to have a harder time with it"

"(Smaller animals...)" Thought Lily before Wilson suddenly came to mind

The young woman quickly turned her head to look over the wooden boxes to look at Max and his feathered companion, but her eyes widened in surprise after seeing the Dodo covered both by the young man's fur cap and wrapped in his school blazer; Both garments meant to help protect the bird from the cold winds in exchange of Max, who wore nothing on his head except his casual head cloth, getting hit by it a little harder.

It wasn't easy to tell at first sight, but he was indeed feeling the cold. Yet, his eyes remained focused on looking at his surroundings in search of possible threats.

"Hey! What's that over there!?" Yelled out Alex, causing Lily to snap out of her thoughts and look at the direcction he was pointing at along with everyone else.

Just a short distance away, the snow lands were completely uneven and the trees, both the dry and dead and those that still had their snow-covered leaves remaining, were all tilted in the same direcction, pointing towards the west.

"Looks like an avalanche took place here..." Said Rick while looking at it before "What do we do now, Frederick?"

"I don't remember this being here, so it probably happened recently" Replied the middle-aged man while pondering how to proceed "The snow seems safe enough to walk through, but stay wary just in case"

"Shouldn't we just circle through it, then?"

"That would take too long. We need to make it there before nightfall"

Frederick considered Rick's idea, but doing so would take too long and allow nigthtime to fall upon them, adding a shorter field of vision to their list of dangers, not to mention the already vicious fauna was far more active at night and the cold would become even more intense. Taking the direct route, while notably risky, it was a less time-consuming and relatively safer option than risking their necks at night.

"I'll take the lead. You guys follow me...And be careful..."

Following the middle-aged man's lead, the convoy slowly made their way through the uneven snow terrains, each step taken carefully as they passed between sometimes thin paths of snow.

In the distance, the group could hear the distinct sounds of howling and of elephants trumpeting as both species engaged in battle.

"Are those...Mammoths and wolves?" Asked Alex while looking at the massive furry beasts fending off the packs of direwolves with their large thusks.

"Ah, yes. I heard that's a very commonplace sight deeper in the snow biome and the northern shores; Fortunately, they're usually too focused on eachother to go after us, but it'd be best not to risk it"

"I'm honestly not even sure if I should be shocked about it or not at this point"

The sight of Mammoths, an extinct animal, was certainly something that could baffle quite a few people in any normal scenario. But in this case, they had already encountered far more ludicrous animals, so it was difficult for the sailor to feel the same shock.

Little did any of them know, they would soon find something far more disturbing waiting for them in the open plains almost at the end of the uneven terrains. There were no wolves or mammoths; Instead, they found dozens of frozen corpses, both men and women alike, scattered around the snow, some half-buried or lingering in the ground while others were buried so deep only parts of their limbs or hair could be seen. And most likely, there were many more buried deep under the snow.

But the one detail that shook Alex's group to their very core, including Max as well, was that the corpses were dressed in student uniforms. And though not very clear, their uniforms showed many of them were students from the white school.

"Good God..." Muttered Alex, who could feel his stomach growing sick "Just how many of them are there?"

"I'd say around twenty or so...And there could be even more buried under the snow..." Replied Frederick, whose expression didn't show horror, but rather silent empathy

"Damn it...What the hell, man?" Said Rick while lowering his gaze "This is messed up..."

"Everyone? What's wrong?"

"No! You can't look, Alice!" Said Lily as she held tightly onto the little girl to keep her from seeing the field of frozen corpses.

So far Alice had seen plenty of things that could terrify any child or even adult to the point of giving them long-lasting nightmares, but this would definitely scar her for life if she saw it.

Unable to bear the sight any longer, the group kept moving forward while trying their best not to look back at the frozen graveyard. They ventured past the uneven snow plains and ventured into the frozen forests, tall pinewood trees covered a thick layer of snow spreading as far as the eye could see. The visage would be charming if it weren't for the horrible scenery from earlier still lingering in their minds.

"Hey, how much longer until we get there?"

"We should be close now...As long as we follow this path, we should-"

"Hey, you guys!"

The convoy suddenly stopped in place as everyone's gaze was focused forward and looking at the trio of people covered in hide and fur clothing slowly approaching them. All of them riding at the back of Sabertooth tigers, with the two on the sides wielding crossbows and the one in the center, who seemed to be the one that called out to them by the sound of his voice, was carrying a hunting rifle.

"(Shit! A gun!?)" Thought Rick while breaking a cold sweat

Arrows or meele weapons could be dodged or even blocked, but bullets were a whole different matter. Even if he wasn't aiming that gun at them, there was still a notable distance that could give him more than enough time to take aim and shoot.

"This ain't exactly the place for a leisure ride, if you catch my drift..." Said the man holding a rifle while looking at them "So...Mind telling what you follk want here?"

Everyone in Alex's group had tensed up, Max on the back was already pulling an arrow and preparing to shoot it right at the man on the middle while keeping the stego as cover while Rick kept a steady grip on his machete and spear and Alex held onto his hatchet, but didn't do any rash moves either.

None of them was sure wheter these people were raiders or not, but the fact they showed themselves and chose to ask first instead of shooting at them right off the bat was a good sign. Even so, lowering their guard would be a bad move.

"Are you guys members of the nordic pelts?" Asked Frederick with relative calm

"Hey, old man. I'm the one asking the questions here, not you" Replied the man holding the rifle "And what's it to you anyway?"

"We're a trading convoy. We came here from the redwoods to trade with your tribe's leader"

In order to show them he was not an enemy, the middle-aged man took off his fur cap to let them see his face more clearly. Fortunately, his repeated trading with their tribe caused one of the trio to recognize him.

"Hey...I think I've seen that guy before" Said the man on the left

"Ah. Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing him before too" Added the man on the right

The man on the center kept his gaze focused on Frederick for a moment before getting off of his mount and approaching the Stego. Alex's group got on the defensive, but were stopped from doing anything beyond that by the middle-aged man, who raised his hand to gesture them to remain still.

Frederick took it upon himself to move back to get a hold of one of the boxes and brought it forward with Lily's help before removing the lid, allowing the man to see the vegetables resting inside.

His eyes focused on them for a moment or two before diverting towards Alice, who was sitting on the back next to the other boxes. He looked at her quietly and intently before putting down the rifle and strapping it to his back, then walking back to his sabertooth.

"All right, I'll believe you for now" He said while getting back on his mount "You better not try any funny business, though"

"Thank you..." Replied Frederick before putting his cap back on and helping Lily and pushing the box back with the others, allowing both women to tie it back in place with the rest

Both Rick and Alex breathed in relief as both crossbow-wielding men put their weapons down, but Max remained wary just in case.

"Come on, we'll guide you to the village"


	9. White lies

By following the three men, Alex's group made it safely through the snow-covered forests and reached the home of the Nordic Pelts. It was located on a small patch of even land leveled below the rest of the forest. Their small settlement consisted of many structures, mostly built out of stone and wood. It consisted of Two large buildings, a middle-sized one and a much smaller house-like building located almost at the edge of the rocks. Most of these structures counted with a chimney, all of which were steadily pumping out thin smoke. The only way to safely make it into the premises without risking a long fall down was by using the sloped rock path, which was blocked by a large stone door with reinforced wooden doors and wood walls on both sides.

The men guarding the gate were dressed in clothing of fur that covered their bodies and faces from the cold. With metal pikes and hunting rifles, they remained ever vigilant and calm, even when seeing the group of people mounted on dinos approaching their gates.

"Heeeeey! We're back!" Yelled out one of the men guiding the group "Open up, will ya!?"

"Who are those people!?" Asked one of the guards as all eyes were focused more on Alex and the others

"They're a trading convoy! We found them while scouting out for Mammoths!" Replied the man

The guards whispered among each other for a moment or two before one of them moved back and away from the wall. Their movements and behavior clearly anxious even to the eyes of the group.

"Just...Just stay there for a minute, okay!?"

"Fucking greenhorns..." Said the man after grunting while lowering his head and shaking it in disbelief "I can't believe they put them to guard the door again"

The clear irritation on the tribe member was not from the inexperience of the younger guards, but from the fact there were a few older, more experienced guards on duty keeping an eye out as well, but were simply watching the situation to see how the new blood would respond if a problem took place instead of simply opening the door for to let both them and the merchant they already were aware was a frequent visitor in.

"At least they're trying hard this time"

"Yeah..."

The other two men seemed more patient and accepting of this, as it was a proof these younger ones were putting more dedication into pulling their own weight.

"Greenhorns?" Asked Alex while looking at the tribe members.

"Ah, yeah. We had a bunch of newcomers lately" Said the man on the right while turning his head to look at him "Most of them are kids though. Most of them say they're from a white school or something like that..."

"(White school!?)"

The sportsman looked at the guard for a moment or two before moving forward a step or two and calling out to him.

"Excuse me! Can I ask you something!?"

"Ah! Yes!? What is it!?"

"Are you by any chance one of the students from the "cultural academy of impartially white knowledge"?"

The guard flinched in surprise after hearing the name of his school being called out all of a sudden by one of the visitors.

"Ho-How do you know that name!?" He asked, eager to know the answer "Are you from one of the four schools too!?"

"Yes, I'm from the green school" Replied Alex

Among the guards, some seemed surprised by this revelation. But instead of asking more questions that were probably dwelling within their minds right now, almost all of them turned their heads to look at the other side of the gate, and the reason why became clearer for Alex and the others after the wooden doors slowly opened up, revealing a man as large as a bear. His skin was white, rugged and showed a few scars around the face. He had a large bushy beard with braids on it and despite being no taller than a head or so than his fellow tribesmen or the group, his presence was far more imposing.

He was dressed mostly in hide clothing under a fur coat, along with fur bracers reinforced with metal and fur boots. But without a doubt the most notable feature of his outfit was the bear headress, with the dead animal's head acting as a hood and the rest of the body covering his back like a cloak while the front arms were tied to keep it from falling off.

He carried a two-handed war axe on his back, and the two men following him had pikes.

The three tribesmen quickly got off of their tames to greet him, receiving a short but notable nod in return, before the burly man approached the Stego as Frederick got off to greet him face to face.

"Bjorn..." Said the middle-aged man, breaking the short yet tense moment of silence taking place while removing his fur cap to show his face

"Well...Isn't this a pleasant surprise!?" Replied Bjorn with a cheerful tone while placing both hand on the man's shoulders, a notable scavandian accent in his tone "Didn't think I'd be seeing you this soon, old friend!"

"Let's just say a lot happened since last time"

"I see..."

Bjorn took a short moment to look at Alex's group before looking at Frederick and giving him a gentle shook in a friendly manner.

"Either way, It's a good thing to see you here!" He said, regaining his cheerful tone right away "Come now! I'm sure having this conversation will be much easier in my home!"

Frederick nodded in agreement to Bjorn's suggestion before the latter turned around and made a hand gesture to his tribesmen, making them lower their weapons in response.

An air of relief spread among Alex's group as everyone was allowed to go through the gate and into the settlement of the Nordic Pelts. Shortly afterwards, Alex and Rick helped unload the boxes and with the help of some of the tribesmen, who carried them to the middle-sized storage before they took the tames and led them to a structure next to the stone wall that resembled a stable where they could be sheltered from the cold and fed.

The snow under their feet crunching as they walked deeper into the settlement. Most of the other tribesmen in sight were either hanging around the place by themselves, talking with each other or helping with some tasks like removing the pelt and meat from hunted animals or sharpening the weapons. Almost every pair of eyes looking at them, some being more inconspicuous about it than others.

"Everyone looks like they're really tense for some reason..." Said Lily while looking at the people around them

"You can never know what to expect when it comes to unknown people, so it's usually common for tribes to be wary of visitors" Replied Frederick without removing his gaze from the front, trying not to meet with the eyes that stared at them so intently

"Try not to mind it, girl. You lads are not to blame for it" Said Bjorn while looking over his shoulder at her in an attempt to dismiss her concerns "Luck hasn't been favoring us very much as of late, so it can't be helped for now"

"Trouble with the hunt again?"

"Indeed...Those accursed wolves have been getting harder to deal with as of late. Not to mention "that" abomination as well..."

""that" abomination?"

"Oh, don't mind me! Just rambling to myself!" Replied the large man quickly with his cheerful tone while smiling.

Frederick might have not heard the whole story, but the little information given was more than enough to tell the Nordic Pelts were facing some notable problems at the moment.

"I see...Looks like I chose a bad time to visit"

"Nonesense, old friend!" Replied Bjorn "Your convoy is always a welcome sight in my tribe!"

"(He seems like a really nice guy...)" thought Alex, who initially thought of the burly man as a much more vicious person due to his imposing presence from earlier.

Without the imposing pressure he was exerting earlier, the leader of the Nordic pelts gave the impression of a much more friendly person. A little boisterous, but it was a nice trait to have in it's own way.

"Although I must admit I'm still curious. You'd usually take another week or so longer before coming by"

"About that. There's actually another reason I came all the way here"

"Oh? And that would be?" Asked Bjorn with a notable interest in his tone

Frederick turned his head to look at Alex and his group, which in turn caused the leader of the Nordic Pelts to do the same thing.

"These kids are looking for one of their friends, and I think it might be that Dahlia girl you took in the other week"

"So these little lads are Dahlia's friends?"

"No...More than friends, we're just classmates" Replied Alex before taking a more serious tone "But anyway! I need to talk to her!"

A sudden surge of energy coursed through Alex's body due to the feeling of being so close to his goal. There were no doubts any longer. Dahlia was with this tribe, and all they needed to do was ask the last question.

"Can you please tell me where she is right now? It's really important!"

Bjorn looked at the sportsman's eyes for a moment or two, a pensive expression on his face, before finally responding with the same boisterous attitude as before.

"Very well! I'll take you to her!"

"Thank you!"

Convinced by the notable determination in Alex's request, Bjorn decided to go grant his request and take them to her, but not without asking his fair share of questions first. Fortunately, Frederick was more than glad to add some context into the situation by explaining to Bjorn how he met with Alex after getting captured by the bandits, how his group saved their lives and took down the bandit's vicious leader, which eventually led to the series of events that culminated in this early and unexpected visit.

"I see...It seems you have been burdened with your fair share of trouble too, old friend" Said the burly man before turning his head to look at Alex with a more cheerful expression "And as for you, lads! You have my thanks!"

"I don't really think there's a need to thank us" Replied Rick, with one hand raised up to chest level "More than to help, I'd say we were just trying really hard not to get killed"

"Still, it doesn't change the fact you saved the life of this man! Not to mention all the souls you gave a proper chance to rest in peace with your brave actions!"

"(Rest in peace...)"

At that moment, Alex came to realize that maybe, just maybe, the souls of the people the leader of the raiders killed would be able to attain some peace of mind now that the man who murdered and tortured them was dead. The idea of being a vindicator wasn't exactly something anyone in the group sought or thought of as ideal, but the idea that they gave someone the chance to be at peace in death was comforting to the mind, at the very least.

"This is it! My humble home!"

Alex and his group snapped out of their train of thought and looked forward. Bjorn had guided them to the smallest house-like structure. unlike other larger structures, it consisted of wooden walls with reinforced wooden windows and a door, along with a few wooden steps to help reach the latter more easily.

This small house served not only as Bjorn's personal home, but also as a safe place for him to hold private discussions with traders and fellow tribe leaders without the concern of someone eavesdropping or spying on them.

"No need to be shy now, lads! Come on in!"

The leader of the Nordic Pelts opened the door and walked inside, followed by Alex's group and Frederick. The inside was something close to what you would expect an average home to look like, or at least a home from the time before electricity became something humans could use.

There was a table with four chairs on the center and a small barrel on top of it, along with a preserving bin and a weapon rack on one side of the wall, while the other was decorated with a small painting of a lake in it and a closet-like storage. The combination of hanging torches on both sides of the wall along with the fire coming from the fireplace gave the inside of the house a very well lit atmosphere, even with the already darkening outside due to the late hour. Besides the fireplace, there were two beds, each one placed against the wall of their side and each with a small wooden chest placed against the bottom, most likely meant as a safe place for the owner of each bed to store things they considered personal or valuable.

"Ohhh! This place looks really cozy!" Said Lily, who found the warm and welcoming atmosphere of Bjorn's house to be something she really liked

"Aye! Such is the purpose I had in mind when building it!" Replied the leader of the Nordic Pelts with both hands on his hips and with a certain feeling of fulfillment in his tone "It's just a humble home, but I like to think of it as my little piece of Valhalla!"

"Bauljalla? What's that?" Asked back the young woman with a confused expression

"Valhalla is the large Asgardian hall where half of the warriors who die in combat, and that are chosen by Odin to do so, join the masses of those who have died in combat known as Einherjar and various legendary Germanic heroes and kings as they prepare to aid Odin during the events of Ragnarok" Replied a female voice ""

"Hmmmm...I don't really get it, but thank you for explaining it!" She replied while turning her head to look at the source of the voice with a smile

After coming to realize the female voice didn't belong to one of their members, Alex's group turned their heads in the same direcction as Lily to look at the source of the voice. There, they saw a girl with silver/white hair sitting down on a bench while reading a book. The bangs on the side were long enough to reach past her shoulders and, unlike Angela smooth and Lily's messier waist-long hairstyles, her's was more of a shoulder-lenght bob style and hardly reached down to her chest. Her skin was pale like porcelain and her irises had a distinctive pale-blue, almost purple-ish, color to them. And not only her hair, but also her eyebrows and eyelashes had the same white color. Her petite body made it easy to tell that she was shorter than Lily in terms of height, but it also gave her a somewhat harmless look and contrasted with her currently bland expression.

Her outfit consisted of a clear-brown tunic that reached down to her thights under a fur mantle, along with Dark brown hide pants, fur boots and bracers. She also had small-framed glasses.

"(An Albino?)" Thought Max while looking at her. He had heard about them before, but it was his first time seeing one in the flesh and bone

"Ah! There you are, little Dahlia!" Said Bjorn while turning around to look at her "I thought I told you already, it would be more comfortable if you sat closer to the fireplace!"

"I have no problems with the cold, if that's what you mean" Replied the silver-haired girl with a uninterested voice, her eyes never moving away from her book "I only care about being able to properly read, and sitting in front of the fireplace makes the pages of my book darker and more difficult to read. In my current position I have the best illumination for the pages, so I like it better here"

"I see..." Replied back the leader of the Nordic Pelts with a tone that made it sound more like a sigh "Even if that's the case, I'd wish you would at the very least wear some gloves. It'll be bad for your hands if they get too cold"

"I'm certain I explained this to you already too. It's harder to turn the pages with gloves on"

"So this is the white flower, Dahlia?" Asked Alex

"She looks like a porcelain doll..." Added Lily with wonder, who found Dahlia's creamy white skin and short body to resemble that of the dolls one of her classmates had a passion for

"Aye!" Said Bjorn while approachng Dahlia and placing one hand over her head "Back when I found her and her classmates out there in the snow, I myself believed her to be one of the mythical light elves from Álfheimr, rather than an human!"

"Could you please move your hand from my head? It's heavy"

"A-Aulfuheimer...?"

"Just don't think too hard about it" Said Frederick while turning his head to look at the confused Lily

"Okay!"

"Anyway. I believe there's other matters to discuss right now, yes?"

"Oh, right..." Said Alex while looking at Bjorn before turning his head to look at Dahlia "Excuse me, but we wanted to talk with you about something important"

"Let me guess...You want me to help you cure your friend's psychiatric disorder?"

"Eh?"

"Ho-How did you-!?"

"The way you asked if I was indeed Dahlia earlier showed you never met me personally, yet you called me "white flower", meaning that you heard about me from someone else, and your young appearance make it very likely that you're a student or survivor who heard from another student about me and about how my knowledge in psychology and humanities earned me that tittle. Not only that, but the hasty tone you used when telling me that you needed to talk with me about something important and the fact you're in the company of a recurring trader means you genuinely believed my knowledge could solve your problems and that belief or desperate need was strong enough to persuade you into traveling alongside him all the way to this remote place" Replied the albino girl, her eyes never diverting away or getting distracted from her reading, even turning the page while explaining in a calmly, almost robot-like manner "There was also the possibility that you wanted to speak about the obelisks, but in that case you would have directly mentioned them rather than being oblique about it, meaning that it was a subject directly related to you personally or to someone you know, and that it was about someone who is not only either suffering from a disorder, but is also present right now since you wanted to avoid saying it outright to keep him or her from getting uncomfortable or offended"

Alex and the others broke a cold sweat, the utter shock of Dahlia's stand-offish, careful and extremely precise analysis was so spot-on no one could even muster a word from how baffled they were.

"(She managed to figure out all of that with deductive reasoning just from two phrases and one person's presence!?)" Thought Rick with shock "(This girl...She's the real deal!)"

"Well. Most of it was merely a conjuction of hipotesis, but your reactions proved my deductions to be at least partially right"

Usually most clever people could deduce a thing or two by piecing together information given to them, and more clever individuals had it easier while those that received formal training in it such as detectives or FBI agents could deduce things with even more precision, along with being able to gather larger amounts of information. But to be able to gather such a large amount of information from as little clues as Dahlia did and create such an accurate hipotesis in mere minutes, if not seconds, was something on a whole other level. Even if one assumed half of what she said to be lucky guessing, it was still something even seasoned investigators would have a hard time doing, at least with so little time and so little to pull information from.

"And by the way. Before you ask, my answer is no"

"Wa-Wait, what?" Asked the sportsman, finally snapping out of his shock

"I said that I won't help you"

A short moment of silence went by before the group finally reacted to her rejection. Or rather, Alex reacted, and not exactly in a very friendly way.

"What the hell do you mean by that!?" He snarled with a notable irritation in his tone "Are you seriously telling me you'll turn us down just like that without even listening to what we have to say, and even though we're students just like you!?"

"I think it's a pretty obvious answer if you stop to think about it for a moment" Replied the white flower, still as emotionless and unflinched "Not only did I already figure out the core reason why you want my help, but helping you with your problems also grants me no benefit. And wheter you are from the same school as me or from one of the other three is none of my concern either"

"This better be a bad joke! Do you have any idea how much we had to travel just to make it all the way here alive!?"

"Hey, Alex. Take it easy" Said Rick, who was coming to realize the Sportsman's anger was steadily growing.

After having to travel from literally the other side of the island, after having to fight for dear life against both beast and men alike, after finally finging Dahlia, she just downright turned them down without even the slightest hint of hesitation. This was nothing short of a gut punch for the group, especially for Alex, who was the one that kept convincing everyone that this was the best move, the best idea, even if the blue Obelisk was the thing they had in mind. It was just a given that anger would take over him.

"If you had to travel that much to get here, then you certainly had more than enough time to think of a better excuse for me to help you than "Because we're classmates", don't you think?"

"Why, you-!"

"Alex! Calm down!"

"Hey, stop it!"

Dahlia's blatantly uninterested responses to everything showed the one and only truth. She didn't care in the least about anything the group had to say. Wheter they were classmates or not and wheter they needed help or not, she didn't give a damn about it if it didn't bring her any benefit, and she had no problems saying it to others right in their faces. Unlike Angela, Dahlia only cared about herself, and this extremely self-interested mentality caused Alex's blood to boil. Fortunately, Rick and Frederick were able to keep him from getting violent.

Meanwhile, the white flower was still reading her book as calm as she could be. Almost as if she didn't pay any mind in the least to what Alex would do if the two men were to let go of him, or maybe because she was already teorizing he wouldn't attack her in front of so many people, especially Bjorn.

"Do you really care only about yourself!? Is that what the white school's flower is like!?"

"I never asked for the tittle of flower. The other students simply gave it to me without my consent and everyone else, including the teachers, soon started to follow suit" She replied while turning on the page of her book "And as for the other question. Is it really that weird for someone to prioritize their own welfare and interests over that of others? Self-preservation Is technically the most basic part of human nature, after all"

"Does that include all the other students we found frozen to death outside the forest!? Did you leave them there to die so you could save your own hide!?"

"Hey, Alex! That's going too far!" Said Rick while trying to calm him down

A short moment of silence went by before Dahlia finally responded to his question.

"Those people were originally staying in this village with us, but they couldn't stand the lifestyle they were offered here and instead chose to leave" She replied, her gaze finally meeting his "That was a poorly made decision, but it was their decision, not mine"

Rick and Frederick had expected Alex to become even more aggressive, but they were surprised by the sudden lack of resistance they received from him.

"I don't get it..." He said, his tone much more confused rather than angry this time "Even though so many of them died...How can you say something like that so calmly?"

Alex's rage seemed endless at one point, but quickly seemed to die out as the indignation was instead replaced by disbelief.

Once again, Dahlia looked at him in silence. But before she could answer his question, Bjorn interrupted the conversation.

"Now, now, both of you. I believe this conversation has derailed towards a bad direction" He said while standing between Alex and Dahlia, a surprisingly understanding expression on his face "How about you lads go to the dinning hall? Eat something good? I bet a full belly would help out a lot right about now, yes?"

"Thanks, we'll do..." Replied Rick this time while nodding

"Just tell them I sent you, and there should be no problem at all!"

Alex didn't say a single thing, he simply lowered his eyes before turning around and leaving with the rest of his group after Bjorn told them where to find the dinning hall, leaving him alone with Dahlia and Frederick.

"And as for you, little Dahlia. I believe that was a rather unkind welcome you gave them"

"I see..."

"You could have at least listened to their request a little more carefully, don't you think?" He said while looking at her with face that showed his dissapointment in how bad her conversation with Alex's group went "It never hurts to increase the number of allies you've got"

"I already explained that the problems of other students are none of my concern. And helping that group won't bring me any benefit that I can't get from you or the Nordic Pelts already"

"There's only so much me and my tribe can do, little Dahlia. And those lads are certainly no coal munchers, considering they made it here in one piece"

"If it's about skill in battle, then I can assure you those kids are more than capable" Added Frederick, who was more than convinced in their ability to survive against the island's wildlife.

The white flower didn't reply right away this time. She wasn't at a loss for words, but merely putting some thought into the words given to her.

"If I tell you that I'll think about it, will both of you allow me to read in peace?"

"Gladly!"

"Very well...I'll think about it...maybe..."

"That's all I'm asking for" Said Frederick with a thankful tone

"Well, then! Since that is resolved, how about we share a pint of ale, old friend!?"

"It'd be rude of me to say no, wouldn't it?" Replied the middle-aged man with a smirk

Bjorn smiled back at him and went to search into the preserving bin for two cups made of wood, then opened the tap in the barrel and filled up both of them, giving one to Frederick.

"For another day of survival, and a fruitful hunt and harvest!" Said Bjorn after sitting down and extending his cup towards Frederick, who did the same

Both men toasted in honor of the prosperity of their activities and proceeded to drink for a while, engaging in small talk either about things from their daily activities or simply from random things that came to mind, all the while Dahlia quietly kept reading on the corner, until the alcohol in Frederick's blood finally led him to ask something that dwelled within his mind for a while now.

"Hey, Bjorn. Ive been meaning to ask..." He said while looking at Bjorn, who was taking a sip of his cup "Earlier you said something about a "creature" causing you trouble...What kind of creature did you mean, exactly?"

"Oh, well...I imagined you'd ask eventually" Replied Bjorn after putting down his cup, some of the foam still lingering on his beard "I trust you, so I have no trouble telling you. But please try not to talk about it in public, it makes the men grow uneasy"

"My lips are sealed..."

"In that case, you might want to take an extra pint or two, old friend" Said the leader of the Nordic Pelts while leaning forward, his expression and tone notably more stern than before "This will take a while..."

*Scene*

After eating their fill at the dinning hall, the group was offered a place to sleep in the barracks. It was a sepparate section in the back of the building, at the end of the hall that sepparated the rooms where men and women slept appart from each other. It lacked any significant decoration beyond a couple of desks with a chair each and a drawer to temporaly store the extra baggage, but there were more than enough beds for everyone to sleep in, and the room proved to be well-taken care of; A sign that the Nordic Pelts were used to receiving traders up to some degree, and perhaps a reflection of Bjorn's hospitality.

Once they were done taking turns to get changed, most of the group fell asleep without much trouble, partly thanks to the exhaustion of the long trip. Alex had a harder time falling asleep due to all the thoughts running amok inside his mind, but fatigue eventually forced him to shut his eyes and let his consciousness slip away. A few hours or so later, Frederick arrived as well, though he simply dropped like a brick into one of the remaining beds and passed out without even attempting to get changed.

The following morning, Alex and Rick got up early and went back to the dinning hall for something to eat as breakfast while Alice struggled to wake Lily up. Once there, they found Frederick, though he didn't seem to be doing very well at the moment.

"Good morning, Frederick"

"Oh...Good morning..." Said the middle-aged man, waving his left hand lazily without even turning to look at them while the right one was placed over his face, with the thumb and index fingers rubbing the temples of his skull

"Uh...Are you okay?" Asked Rick while sweat dropping

"Yeah, yeah...I'm fine...I just...Had a bit too much of Bjorn's "hospitality"..." He replied with a slight groan

"Oh..." Said Alex while looking at him

It was easy to tell just by looking at Frederick's nauseous state that he was suffering from a hangover, something Alex himself had seen and felt more times that he could count at this point; A commong occurence for the gregarious and outgoing students of the green school, who would party just as often as they would sleep. On the bright side, all those painful mornings spent with headaches and his lunch going out the same way it went in eventually gave him some hands-on experience on how to treat hangovers with a moderate amount of efficiency.

"How about eating something, then? I bet that would help"

"I'd rather just have some water first, if you don't mind..."

"Okay, then. I'll go get you some" Said the Sportsman before turning his head to look at Rick "Hey Rick, I'll go and see if I can get us some food while I'm at it"

"Sure thing. I'll wait for you here"

While Alex went to get something to eat for both of them, the sailor remained with the middle-aged man.

The dinning hall, just like the inside of Bjorn's house and the barracks, had a caracteristic design that reminded him of Nordic culture. On one hand, it surprised him that they managed to build such a thing, but it also felt oddly amusing to see such a place in person rather than within a videogame or a movie.

There were already a few tribesmen lined up, waiting to receive their share from the few who were in charge of cooking with pitch black pots hanging over a large stone hole with a fire on it. Despite the line looking long at first sight, it moved fast thanks to the "chefs" serving each person almost right away. Most likely, they got up earlier than the other so the wait for the food to be ready would be shorter.

By the time his turn arrived, he was received by the tribesmen in charge of cooking. Unlike the others, they were wearing what looked like a crude version of white approns, and today's dish looked like some sort of vegetable curry. They received him rather nicely, and even gave him two servings without any further questions after he explained one was for Rick.

"Ah! There you are!"

"Hm?"

On his way back, Alex was suddenly greeted by a man with hazelnut-colored hair and dressed in the casual fur clothes of the Nordic Pelts. Just like him, he was carrying a wooden bowl filled with curry and seemed happy to see him.

"Man, am I glad to see you again!"

"...Can I help you?"

"O-Oh, right. You probably can't recognize me" Said the tribesmember while scratching the back of his head with a weak smile before pointing at himself "I'm the guy you talked to when arriving to the village. The one on guard duty, remember?"

It took a moment, but the Sportsman was quickly able to recall the conversation he had with one of the white school students on the gate yesterday. Though he failed to recognize him since his face was covered at the time.

"Oh! Now I remember!" He said as his expression changed into one of surprise "Sorry. I didn't recognize you for a moment there"

"No, it's okay! I figured you wouldn't since my face was covered and all that, you know?" Replied the student with a dissmisive hand gesture

"Hey, want to come eat with us?"

"Sure thing! Yeah!" He replied cheerfully "Oh, by the way. My name's Valentino"

After getting a cup of water for Frederick from one of the barrels with the help of Valentino, the two of them returned to the sailor and the middle-aged man. The latter still looking as nauseous.

"Here you go, mister" Said the white student while handing him over the cup of water

"Thanks..."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah. He just received some of Bjorn's "hospitality", or so I heard"

"Oh...That..."

Valentino looked at Frederick with a notable sympathy in his eyes. He seemed to understand perfectly well how he felt at the moment.

"Back when we first arrived, learning how to adapt to life with the Nordic Pelts was almost impossible at first. But most of us eventually got the hang of it and we were even allowed to go out and help with one of the hunts" Explained the student while looking at Alex and Rick "Since that was our first time ever hunting something succesfully, Bjorn wanted to celebrate it with a "few" drinks...No one could even walk properly the day after"

"That badly?"

"Bjorn doesn't drink as often as he used to. But when he does, he can chug down an entire barrel of the damn thing" Explained Frederick "Not only that, but his jolly attitude easily gets those around him in the mood to drink; Sometimes going a bit beyond their own limits"

"(Kind of reminds me to one of my seniors)" Thought Alex while sweat dropping before looking at both of them with a weak smile "A-Anyway! How about we eat before it gets cold?"

"That would probably be for the best..." Said Rick before looking at Valentino "By the way, who are you again?"

After a short introduction, the student and the sportsman proceeded to sit down while the latter gave the sailor his bowl. They proceeded to eat quietly at first, but it didn't take long for conversation to start.

"Is this...curry?"

"It's called Fria Curry. It's a vegetable dish that can warm up your body and even make it more resilient to the cold for a while" Answered Valentino

"So that's what the vegetables were for?"

"Berries can be easily gathered from the bushes around the forest, but vegetables have to be farmed. Unfortunately, the harsh climate of the snow biome makes it impossible to grow anything" Explained Frederick to the two men "Because of it's hypothermic insulation effects, northern tribes like this one find this dish to be beyond valuable, so traders like me usually sell them the needed vegetables in exchange of the materials they collect in their hunts like fur and hide"

"Makes sense, I guess"

In exchange of fur and hide to keep making clothes for his trade, Frederick would give vegetables to the Nordic Pelts, who would use them to cook this dish and make their lives in the snow biome a little easier. It was an easy to understand term, but it did raise one question that would probably be very common to think about with just a little bit of thought.

"If it's really that difficult to live in this place, then why not just move to the warmer regions?"

"It's not so simple, Alex" Asnwered Frederick while turning his head to look at him "The fur they get from their hunts can only be gathered from the animals living in this region, not to mention that the harsh climate also serves as a good way to stay hidden away from larger tribes like the New legion"

"In other words, leaving the snow biome means they would lose their main resource for trading and would be at risk of being attacked by this legion or other tribes, right?" Added Rick this time, bringing some more clarity into his words

"Exactly"

A life of harsh cold and dangerous beasts in exchange of safety from more powerful tribes and a continued stability. Despite any complaints he could have, Alex could easily understand the point of remaining in the snow biome, and the Nordic Pelts most likely did as well.

"Hey, by the way..." Interrupted Valentino, who just came to notice something "Where are the rest of your group?"

"Lily is still sleeping and Alice is trying to wake her up" Answered Rick without looking away from his fria curry

"Huh...So that really was Lily..." Muttered the student to himself, seemingly pensive about something "She's just as much of a beauty as the rumors said..."

"What was that?"

"Ah, sorry! It was nothing! Just talking to myself!"

"Oookay...?" Replied the sailor before focusing again on the subject at hand "Anyway, as I said. Those two are probably still in the barracks...And as for Max...I honestly have no clue..."

"Now that you mention it, where IS Max?" Asked Alex this time "I didn't see him anywhere when we woke up"

"I don't recall seeing him anywhere when I entered the barracks last night either" Added Frederick "Then again, my memories of that moment are probably not the most reliable"

"Knowing him, he's probably out by the gate or wandering around in search of a place where he and Wilson can sulk by themselves"

"Wilson?"

"That's the name of his Dodo"

"Dodo? Aren't those birds extinct?"

"Not in this island, at least"

"So the other guys weren't lying when they said the island was full of extinct animals" Said Valentino while recalling the words of the other tribesmen "I thought it was weird for living Mammoths to wander around just like that, but I didn't think the whole island would be filled with extinct animals"

Though slightly different in size and sometimes more vicious, Valentino and the other students of the white school only saw deer, bears and wolves so far. All of them were animals that could easily be confused with their current-day counterparts. So they were none the wiser about the vicious pre-historic dinosaurs that roamed the lands.

"Wait a minute. Is that Max guy wearing a black piece of cloth over his head?"

"Yeah, that's him"

"Then I saw him earlier this morning"

"Really? Where?" Asked Alex while looking at him with surprise

"It was earlier in the morning. I was on my way here and I happened to see him gazing off at the ocean while sitting on the rocks at the edge of the cliffside" Explanied Valentino "I thought about going up to say hi, but he seemed to be really pissed off about something. Like, the scary type of pissed off, so instead I chose to back off and let him be"

"That was probably for the best" Said Rick, who felt glad the student did the smart thing and walked away

"In any case, at least we know he's still within the village. So there's nothing to worry about for now" Added Alex before looking at Valentino again "Since I have the chance, there's something else I want to ask you about"

"What is it?"

"You are from the white school just like Dahlia, right? Is there anything you can tell me about her?"

"Dahlia? Well..." Replied the student before growing silent for a moment while thinking how exactly to answer the question "To be honest with you, there's not much I can tell you about her. In fact, no one here knows that much about her"

"But isn't she the white flower?"

"Yeah, she is. But she's not exactly a very approchable person" He replied with one hand on his chin "You'd think someone as popular as one of the flowers would spend every waking minute surrounded by people, but she spends nearly all the time outside of classes inside the library by herself, and anyone that tries talking to her says she has this cold attitude and way of reading people as if they were books that makes her just impossible to approach"

"I think I get what they mean..."

It didn't take too much effort for Alex to imagine what Valentino meant by that. Even now, he could remember Dahlia's stand-offish attitude towards everything he said. Her cold and almost emotionless stare was just like Jordan and Frederick described it.

"Anything else you can tell me about her?"

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

"I need her to help me out with something important, but she won't do a thing unless she gets some benefit out of it" Explained Alex "Maybe If I know a little more about her, then I might be able to figure out how to convince her"

"(Alex...)"

After the brutally straightforward rejection they received yesterday from Dahlia, Rick felt worried about Alex's silent state. Fortunately, his determination seemed to be still intact.

"Well...It's a given she probably likes books considering how much time she spends reading them, but I don't think you'll be able to find that many books laying around the mountain" Replied the white student with a pensive expression "So I'd say your best bet is to offer her knowledge"

"Knowledge?"

"As stand-offish as she might be, Dahlia is still a student of the white school. And if there's one thing all of us have in common, is our inquisitive mindset" He explained to them "A Polymath like Dahlia surely has to be a bit of a philomath as well"

Both Alex and Rick looked in silence at each other before looking at Valentino again. Not in surprise or shock, but rather in confusion. The white student was able to notice this and knew exactly what was going through their minds right now.

"A polymath is someone who has great and detailed knowledge and facts from a variety of subjects, while a philomath is someone who enjoys learning and studying a lot"

"Ohhhhh" Said both of them at the same time

"So...We just need to get her some piece of information that she could find important?"

"Well, yeah. that's what I said"

"(I'm pretty sure that's NOT what he said...)" Thought Rick while sweat dropping

This was an important discovery for Alex. He had found a possible way to persuade Dahlia, and all he needed was some piece of information relevant or important enough for her to agree. Fortunately, he had something that could prove useful.

"How about the obelisks? Does she know anything about them yet?"

"I don't think so. I've been asking almost everyone in the tribe about them, and all I've heard so far is that there are three of them and each one has a different color, but everything else is pretty much a mistery"

"I guess it's worth a shot then..."

The information Alex and his group managed to gather so far about the obelisks was minimal, and the chances that it would be enough to persuade Dahlia were slim, but he was at a dead end right now and this was the best he could come up with right now.

Once they were done eating, Alex left for the barracks while Valentino left to handle his daily duties and Rick decided to look after Frederick for a while longer.

Part of Alex wanted to go check up on Max, but he knew handling things with Dahlia first and foremost was the most important thing to do right now. And with this in mind, he went to search for Lily and Alice, or rather, the drawings of the artifacts she did on her sketchbook. Fortunately, the little girl somehow managed to finally wake up the young woman.

Though still drowsy, Lily managed to understand Alex's request and agreed to go with him in order to show the white flower the drawings of the artifacts. The two of them made their way to the house, and just the same as yesterday, she was in the same chair and reading a book, though it was a different one this time. Fortunately, Bjorn was out, so they had some proper privacy to talk with her.

"Huh...I assumed you wouldn't wait too long to try again, but I had hoped you wouldn't try to bother me this early in the morning at the very least either"

Dahlia didn't seem all that surprised about their sudden and early visit, though she didn't hesitate to voice out how bothersome she found it either. Nonetheless, Alex ignored her remark and remained focused on his goal.

"Yesterday you said that you wouldn't help us unless you got something out of it, right?"

"Actually, I said that helping you with your problems would bring me no benefit. Then again, the message between both phrases is still similar enough to apply"

"Wait...Is that a yes or a no?" Asked Lily with a confused expression

"Anyway!" Interrupted Alex to stop the conversation from derailing "I've got something that I bet you'll definitely want!"

"And what would that be?"

"Information about the obelisks"

Surprisingly, Dahlia actually took a moment to divert her gaze away from her book to look at the Sportsman. Her expression still bland, but there was no denying he managed to catch her attention.

"While traveling around the island, we checked out the other two obelisk and took notes of what we found"

"And I did lots of sketches too!" Added Lily while holding her sketchbook, which contained both a sketch of each artifact along with notes of their findings within the pages, with both hands and smiling

The white flower's eyes diverted from Alex's eyes to the sketchbook. Her cold, unflinching stare remained focused on it for a while longer before she finally spoke out an answer.

"I see...Assuming you're not lying, that would definitely count as new information for me"

"Then-!"

"But before anything, let me ask you something" Interrupted Dahlia, whose gaze was now focused once again on him "How exactly is that information "beneficial" to me?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm asking what exactly makes this information you have so beneficial... Does it explain what those structures are? Or where they came from? Or what would happen if we were to try and access them?"

"That's..."

"Information is only as valuable as it's relevancy to the needs of the individual you're offering it to. A farmer searching to plant corn wouldn't find what's written in a book about nuclear physics very useful now, would he?"

"What does farming have to do with the obleisks?"

"That was just an example..."

"It's true we ourselves don't know that much more about the obelisks than you yet, but we definitely have some good clues as to how we could use them" Interrupted Alex, taking her attention once again and making her divert her gaze away from Lily and to him

"And what happens if we "use" the obleisks?"

"I don't know yet, but it could help us find a way to get back home"

"And what if it doesn't?"

"I don't know. But either way, it's still worth a shot"

Dahlia and Alex once again exchanged stares, this time for a longer time. The white flower's eyes were quietly analyzing his, checking if they could figure out anything beyond what words had been said so far, but this effort stopped just as suddenly as it began after she finally broke the silence once more and spoke.

"Very well...I'll take a look at it"

Although initially dissuasive, the white flower was seemingly starting to give in. Or at the very least, she was more willing to listen to Alex now.

Lily opened her sketchbook and showed her the drawing of each and every single artifact they had seen in the terminals of the obelisks so far, along with a rough sketch of the obelisk's alien-like terminals and platforms.

"So that's how the base of the obelisks looks like..." She said while looking at the drawings "And you're saying each terminal is accessed by using the implants on our forearms?"

"Yes. And these things we saw in the terminal, it called them "artifacts"" Explained Alex to her

"Aritfacts...A valuable cultural object, probably to the culture that created those obelisks...Or maybe even perhaps..."

"Dahlia?"

"No. It's nothing..." Replied the white flower before changing the subject "Anyway, I'm assuming now you want my help?"

"Yes"

Dahlia took a deep breath before sighing calmly with her eyes closed, then opened them again and looked at Alex.

"Judging by the obstinate attitude you demonstrated so far, I doubt you'll stop bothering me even if I say no, so instead let me clear this correspondence you have about me at the moment" She said to both of them "As much knowledge of psychology, sociology and general studies of humanities as I might have, I have next to zero practical experience in psychiatry. Even if I am well-versed in the subject's theories and information, being able to properly apply it in real-life scenarios takes years of experience in the field with real patients and formal teaching from experienced medical profesionals, both of which I lack"

"Then...You can't do it?" Asked Lily, who was trying to keep up with the explanation

"I'm not saying I'm incapable of trying, I simply wanted to warn you that I'm not the skilled profesional you might think I am. If anything, I might end up exacerbating the problem by accident" She replied calmly "Even after knowing that, do you still want me to treat your friend's condition?"

Alex went silent for a moment, a cold sweat dripping down his back. The knowledge that Dahlia was not a real professional psychiatric was something he always stuck on the back of his mind, but the baffling ability to read people's emotions and intentions with just a few words she showed them on their first meeting somehow soothed this concern. Yet, it was now beating strongly once again, now that the person in question slammed it against his face.

Even so, choice was not a luxury they had.

"Yes! Please do it!" Replied the Sportsman with a clear tone

Max's mental state was relatively stable at the moment, but that was precisely the problem. It was only for the moment, meaning that there was no telling how long would it last for.

Either be it by the extinct animals, another survivor, the stress or simply someone else doing a reckless mistake, it was likely that he would snap again like he did back at the Weathertop and injure someone severely. Or even worse, start attacking both friend and foe alike.

"I see...In that case, I'll give it a try. Just don't say I didn't warn you..."

"Great!"

Cheer quickly rose up in both Alex and Lily, but this would be a short-lived joy.

"Also, there's one last doubt I'd like to clear out..."

"What is it?"

"It's about that companion of yours...The one you want me to examine" She said while looking intently at Alex this time "Does he actually want, or even know, that you people came here for this precise reason?"

"What do you mean? Of course he does!"

"Th-That's right! Why would you even ask that!?"

Lily's response was quick and fully confident, but the same couldn't be said about Alex's. There was a notable stutter and slight change in his tone for a short moment. The stubborn determination he had proved to have so far seemed to grow hesitant due to the question, even if just for a short moment.

"Nothing, really. It's merely a thought of mine..." Said Dahlia with her eyes closed for a moment before opening them once again and looking at Alex "I wasn't told exactly which member of your group is the one you want me to "help", but my best bet would be that it was the blonde man with a piece of cloth wrapped on his head...The way his eyes kept looking at every corner of the house like a cornered animal were a pretty clear sign of paranoia, and the way his expression changed when I voiced my hypotesis about your objective proved he was none the wiser about it, after all..."

"What's your point?"

"My point is...When it comes to psychological issues, it's usually the ones suffering them who have the hardest time accepting the fact when faced about it, let alone accept or seek out help from others" Explained the silver-haired student "Judging by his behavior so far, it would be extremely difficult to convince him of joining him in the trip your group went through...That is, unless you skipped over a few important details in order to persuade him, most likely while using the obelisk as an excuse to cover them up"

"Huh? What is she talking about?"

Lily was confused about where this conversation was headed, but the way Alex's expression and tone steadily became more and more anxious concerned her even more. Did Dahlia figure out something that the sportsman might be hiding from the others?

"Alex? What's wrong?"

"N-No! It's nothing! I just..."

Alex alternated between looking at Lily and Dahlia for a moment or two before the latter spoke up once more.

"Either way, It's not of grave importance to me. I already agreed to lend you my aid regardless of wheter I get the desired results or not" She said calmly "I merely wanted to warn you that, without this person's consent or willingness to cooperate, the chances of achieving said results are practically next to zero"

There was no response from him this time. All he did was lower his gaze, his mind thinking about her words for a short moment or two.

"If that is all, I'd like to go back to my reading now if you don't mind..."

With the conversation now done and over with, Dahlia focused once again on her book. At the same time Alex and Lily left the cabin and went out into the village once more, not a single word coming out of the sportsman's mouth. Even after nearly two minutes, he had yet to say even a single word.

"Hey...Alex?"

They had achieved their initial objective and convinced the white flower to help them, so why did he look so concerned? The young woman had a more or less vague idea judging by what Dahlia asked earlier but she didn't want to believe it. Unfortunately, Alex's silence wasn't filling her with confidence.

"Max did agree to come here for Dahlia...right?"

There was still no response, only the sound of the cold wind blowing and the snow getting squished under their feet.

"Alex-"

"Lily...We need to go find Rick and Frederick" Interrupted Alex after stopping on his tracks and then turning around to look at her "There's something I need to talk to you guys about"

This time Lily was the one to remain quiet, but she nodded in agreement nonetheless. There was little need for her to hear it at this point, but the others had yet to know.

Finding them wasn't a very difficult task due to the relatively small size of the village, but they all decided to go back to the barracks before talking.

"You lied to him!?" Asked Rick with shocked disbelief and widened eyes

"I-I didn't lie! I just...skipped over some things!"

"That's basically the same as lying, Alex" Replied Frederick, who was sitting on the side of one of the beds

"What were you even thinking!?"

"I didn't know what to do, okay!?" Snarled the sportsman, this time with a more intense tone "He would never agree to come here if I told him about Dahlia checking him out, but I couldn't just let this chance slip either!"

"And so you told him that this would be just a temporary stop on your way to the blue obelisk" Said the middle-aged man with his arms crossed and eyes closed, following the sportsman's thought process.

"No wonder he's so pissed off" Added Rick with one hand on his head

The pieces were all coming into place now, and it became clear how Alex managed to convince Max so easily back then. At the time he thought of it as the best move, but now it proved to be proably one of the worst choices to take, and the others were certainly making that point clear to him.

"I wasn't lying when I said that!"

"It still doesn't change the fact you hid the truth from him" Said Frederick while opening his eyes and looking at him

"What do you think it's gonna happen if someone rubs him off the wrong way and he snaps at them like he did back at the Weathertop!?" Added Rick, who was getting very concerned about the consequences of having a pissed off Max walking around in the camp "What are we gonna do then!?"

"I know..."

"Because if you didn't notice, this isn't exactly the best place to sleep outdoors!"

"I said I know already! Stop rubbing it in my face, will you!?" Snarled Alex while getting up on his feet and facing Rick, growing notably irritated now

So far the sportsman had no way to argue against the sailor or the middle-aged man, but having them rub on his face that this current mess was his fault was already starting to shorten his fuse. Fortunately, there were still those among the group who were calm enough to realize things could end badly if not stopped now.

"Please stop fighting, you guys! This isn't helping!" Said Lily while she and Alice got in between both men, her facing Alex while the little girl faced Rick

"That's right! We need to work together!" Added Alice while trying to push the sailor back, though her childish strength was coming up short for the task even without him putting any resistance.

"They're right..." Replied Frederick while putting his hands on the bed and slowly getting up on his feet "Snarling at each other like dogs won't solve a thing at this point. We should focus on finding Max before he causes any troubles for himself"

"Or for us" Added Rick, who still seemed bitter about the whole situation "I just hope he doesn't split someone's hand in half again"

"I told you already, that guy provoked him!"

"In that case, we should hurry up and find him before someone provokes him again" Said the middle-aged man while getting in between them and placing one hand on Rick's shoulder.

Although the attempts to clear out the tension weren't working all that well at first, both Rick and Alex slowly began to calm down. Neither of them would say it outloud, but they knew Frederick was right.

"Look, I'm not gonna ask you what happened at that Weathertop place of yours since it's none of my business, but I need you two to put that aside for now and focus on working together"

"Right..."

"Fine...But there's ONE thing I will ask" Said Rick while looking at Alex "What the hell did Max do to make everyone fear him like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Back at the Weathertop, everyone avoided Max like the plague the moment they realized who he was, and that was before splitting that guy's hand in half" Explained Rick to the rest of the group "Just what on Earth did he do to make people fear him like that?"

"What's it to you, anyway?"

"Because I'm sick and tired of risking my neck for the sake of someone I know next to nothing about, especially when I have no clue of what to expect of him after he gets back to "normal" as you said it" Rplied the sailor with a clearly stern tone "Now out with it!"

Ever since he heard about those rumors from the blue students Rick's mind kept thinking about it over and over just what could he have done that could justify an expulsion, the fear of his classmates and even a jail sentence. He could never find a proper time to ask because they were either constantly on the move or because of Max always being within hearing distance, but today he finally decided to throw caution out the window. He had already ignored Max's aggressions towards other people and even the members of his own group way too many times in favor of his utility when fending of dinosaurs and the unity that Alex created by turning his "recovery" into one of their main goals.

Hearing the origin of said rumors wouldn't help put his mind at ease, but it would certainly help him have an easier time making up his mind in regards to wheter Max's recovery was really worth all the risk or not.

Alex knew well enough what Rick was talking about. He knew about the rumors all too well and they were by far the last thing he wanted to bring up, but the sailor was determined to know this one.

"Max...He-"

Before the sporstman could finish speaking, a loud banging sound came from the door and repeated itself constantly.

"Huh?"

"Guys!? Guys! Are you there!?" Yelled a person on the other side of the doork, his strong knocking "It's me! Valentino! Open up!"

"The kid from the dinning hall?" Asked Fredderick while walking towards the door

The middle-aged man opened the door, revealing the student from the white school standing on the doorframe. His expression was one of anxiety and the depth of his breathing showed he had probably rushed to find them.

"Thank goodness I found you! I looked everywhere for you guys!"

Valentino's words were easy to understand, but his way of speaking was hasty at the moment.

"Easy there, boy. Try to calm down a little"

"No time for that! I have to tell you...!"

"Valentino? What's wrong?" Asked Alex with slight concern

"It's that friend of yours!" Replied the white student "He ran away from the base!"

*Scene*

Alex and the others quickly followed Valentino to the stone wall. Once there, they found a small group of people gathered around. Among them were Bjorn and Dahlia, who were looking at two men facing a third one. And judging by the way one of them just punched the latter and made him fall to the ground, it wasn't a very friendly conversation.

"You dumb brat! What were you thinking!?"

"I-I'm sorry! It's just that he said Bjorn wanted to talk to me and-!" Said the younger man, who seemed to be the other student that served as a guard in training, with a hand placed on the spot where he just got punched

"And you bought it right away!? Just like that!?" Asked the second man "No note!? no questions!? No nothing!?"

"I didn't think he was lying, I swear!"

The conversation was in fact a lecture, and a rather rough one at that.

"Don't be so gullible, you dumb brat!" Snarled the first man while getting him back up on his feet by grabbing his fur clothing "The hell are you gonna do if he stole anything, huh!? How you gonna make up for that!?"

"I don't know! I already said I was sorry!" Replied the student while placing both hands in front of his face "Please, just don't hit me again!"

"Why, you crybaby!"

"Hey, stop!" Yelled Valentino as he and the group approached, but his voice was ignored.

"That will be enough, both of you"

The man holding him moved his right fist back and prepared to give him a good beating, but this was stopped by Bjorn.

"But sir! He needs to learn!"

"And he will...Through discipline, not violence" Replied the tall, burly man to his men "There's no need to go beyond what's needed"

"I won't say your actions are wrong. If anything, they are more effective at keeping him straight than a simple lecture" Added Dahlia while looking at them "But I feel certain that both of you remember what happened after that line between teaching discipline and fear was crossed one too many times..."

Neither of them responded. The white flower's words made both men think about something they didn't need to be reminded of, especially since they had a whole snowfield full of frozen corpses to serve them for that purpose. Both the nordic pelts and the remaining white students had been told by Bjorn that no one was to blame for it, but having such a large amount of deaths that could have been avoided in your mind certainly had a cumbersome weight.

Now more calmed, the man let go of the student and let him fall back to the floor. At the same time, Valentino and Lily were quick to approach the student to check on him as the rest of the group went from running to walking after getting close enough.

"Are you okay?" Asked the young woman as both of them kneeled next to him

"Ye-yeah, I'm okay..."

He was shaking slightly, but nonetheless seemed to be fine.

"Bjorn, what's happened here?"

"Old friend, I was hoping to see you" Replied the burly man while turning his head to look at Frederick "I'm afraid that we might have a bit of a problem on our hands here"

"Is it about Max?"

"Aye. The boy climbed over the wall and made a run for it like Sol and Mani from Skoll and Hati"

"It's assumed that his escape might be because he stole something, but we have no evidence to confirm that yet"

"Dahlia? Why are you out here?" Asked Alex with a raised eyebrow

"Whenever an extraordinary, unexpected or simply a situation that requires a second oppinion arises, It's my duty to give Bjorn impartial advice from a second point of view" Explained the white flower "I guess calling me an aide or assistant could suffice if you preffer simpler terms"

"I see..."

"Now as I was saying earlier, we have no way to confirm or deny wheter your friend commited a theft or not until we confirm nothing is missing from the warehouse"Added Dahlia "Of course...There could be "other" reasons for his actions, but we will have to remain with out current theory for the moment due to the lack of information"

Alex couldn't look at the white flower in the eye, as he knew exactly what her words were trying to say. Nonetheless, he was quick to change the subject for a more urgent one.

"Either way, we need to go out there and find him!"

"Indeed. This mountain is far too dangerous to wander it alone" Said Frederick while looking at Bjorn "In more ways than one..."

"Aye. It really is a perilous place..."

"Then-!"

"Which is why I'm afraid to tell you that I cannot offer my help this time"

"Huh!? Why!?"

"Take a look at the sky, young lad" Replied Bjorn while pointing up

Alex and his group looked up at the sky as the leader of the Nordic Pelts told them to do, and they saw an increasing amount of clouds on the sky steadily growing.

"Those clouds are a sign that a blizzard will be coming our way within a few hours, and it seems to be a mighty one as well" He explained to the sportsman and his group "Going out there during a blizzard would be a sure death, and I cannot force my men to risk their lives so recklessly"

"The more reason to hurry up and find him, then!"

"Alex is right" Added Frederick "Blizzards in the snow biome are just as deadly as the animals that live in it. Even with fur clothing that boy will freeze to death in less than a day if he stays out there"

"I'm sorry, old friend...I cannot demand such a thing out of my tribe"

"It's just the logical thing to do, if you think about it" Added Dahlia "Not only does the incoming blizzard add an extremely high amount of risk, but the person they'd be taking that risk for is basically a complete stranger who is even suspected of stealing their supplies...There's no one in this place who would be willing to do something so futile..."

On one side, Bjorn was forced to refuse due to the risk such a search would pose to the members of his tribe. On the other, Dahlia was using simple but solid logic and reasoning to justify it. Both very different views from one another, but both led to the same conclusion. Alex and the others would not be able to count with the help of the Nordic pelts for this.

"In that case, we'll just have to do this by ourselves then!"

"You're gonna have to count me out of this one, though" Interrupted the sailor, causing everyone's stares to divert to him

"Rick? Why?" Asked Lily

"Because this is just insane"

"But-!"

"Lily, he tried to kill me and then you when we first found him, then he almost stabbed you and Alice just for trying to touch that damn bird he's always with the second time we met, then he acted like a complete outcast with everyone at the Weathertop and even sliced someone's hand in half, and now this!?" Replied Rick while looking at her "I know you're doing it for Alice, but think reasonably for a moment! That guy is insane! He doesn't think of us as friends or even as a group! We're nothing to him!"

"That's not true! He does care!" Snarled Alex "What about the time he helped us back at the green obelisk!? Or when he came to save me, Frederick and Jordan!? Didn't he help us then!?"

"Not US! YOU! He only moves when you or that damn bird of his are involved!" Snarled back Rick "Or what!? Do you really think I didn't see him stay behind and watch as you came down to help us!? Do you really think he would have gone into that raider encampment if anyone other than you was the hostage!?"

"Th-That's...!"

"Just face it already, Alex! We're nothing but strangers to him! People he doesn't care about in the least!"

Alex wanted to snarl back, he wanted to prove that Max did indeed care about the rest of the group, but that was just not possible. Back at the green obelisk, Max said the same words about them as Rick. He thought of them as strangers and nothing else, as people he didn't need to care about. He had hoped his perspective would change with time as they traveled together, but this was nothing more than a pipe dream. Max had closed himself off behind thick walls, and Rick finally decided to give up on breaking through them.

"Fine, I get it already...You guys don't need to go find him..."

"Alex?"

"But what about big brother!?"

"I'll just go find him by myself!"

In a split moment, Alex quickly headed for the wooden ramp and into the wooden walkway. Frederick gave chase right away, but was unable to stop him from going over the stone wall and landing outside.

"Alex!?" Said Lily and Alice as the two of them and Rick quickly followed behind the middle-aged man and looked over the wall with shock

"Alex, stop! You can't go out there by yourself!"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine! You guys just wait for me!" He replied while looking at them over his shoulder

"Alex!"

Despite his group calling out to him, the sportsman didn't respond in the least. He kept running out into the frozen forests in search of Max, not turning his head even once or saying the slightest thing.

"Damn it! ! !" Yelled Rick while slamming his fists against the cold, hard stone and lowering his head "Why!? Why do you have to go so far for him!?"

"Rick..."

Lily looked at the sailor clenching his teeth in frustration while Frederick was quick to put aside his shock and headed back down.

"What are you planning to do, old friend?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna go after him" Replied the middle-aged man while walking past Bjorn and heading towards the stables "I should be able to catch up with him and come back before the blizzard comes with one of my Parasaurs!"

At the same time as Bjorn and Frederick were speaking, Alex had already made it deep into the forests by following the footsteps Max left in the snow on the way out. His heavy breathing and the crunching snow under his feet being the only sounds that could be heard in the area as he followed .

"Maaaaax! Maax, where are you!?"

Left and right, back and forth. No matter which direcction he looked, there was no sign of the young man anywhere nearby. Only his footsteps in the cold, deep snow to serve as something of a guide, which were fortunately easy to spot.

"Come on, man. Just how far did you go?"

The longer he followed the tracks, the further away he got from the safety of the base. But he couldn't go back just yet, at least not without Max. After a few more minutes, Alex noticed the terrain was beginning to slope upwards. As the forest became thinner, he came to realize the tracks were leading him towards the mountain. The reason why Max would want to climb the mountain under such a perilous situation escaped him at first, but it took only one look up to realize the answer.

"The blue obelisk...?"

While looking at the massive cryptic structure, a sound coming from higer up the mountain echoed through the air and reached the inside of Alex's ears. It wasn't the sound of the wind that came from the storm brewing on the distance, but rather the sound of an animal. A bird, and a familiar one at that.

"Wilson!"

The Dodo's chirp sounded distant, but Alex knew well by now that if Wilson was there, then Max was bound to be with it or close by. And without wanting to waste any time, he speeded up the pace with the sound of Wilson as his guide.

Climbing the sloped snow proved to be surprisingly harder than expected, and neither the cold nor his fear of heights were exactly doing him any favors at the moment. After around a minute or so of climbing, Max and Wilson became visible on the distance.

"Finally..." Said Alex to himself before rising one arm and waving at him "Heeeey! Max! Over here!"

The young man turned his head to look back at the sportsman over his shoulder for a short moment, but quickly focused forward once more and kept moving.

"Hey, Max! Wait up!"

Despite calling and waving to him multiple times, that one short stare was the only thing he received from the young man. He simply kept walking and ignoring any other attempt of communication, forcing Alex to catch up to him.

"Max! I told you to wait up!" Said the sportsman while moving closer, reaching his arm out to the young man's shoulder "Come on, man! Just listen to me for a second, will yo-!?"

"Fuck off!" Snarled back Max while pushing Alex's hand away with his arm "I'm sick of listening to your crap!"

"Look, you're pissed off at me, I get it! And you're right! I did screw up by not telling you about Dahlia! But this is really not the best time!" Replied Alex before pointing at the clouds in the distance "There's a blizzard coming, and it's gonna be a nasty one! We need to get back right now!"

"Like hell I'm going back there!"

"I'm not joking here, Max! You'll freeze to death if you get caught up in the blizzard!" He said while trying to emphasize the danger of the incoming storm "Do you really preffer that over the safety of the camp!? What even is your plan, anyway!?"

"I'll go to the blue obelisk, and then get the hell out of this place!"

"And what about the blizzard!?"

"I'll deal with it when it happens!"

"Are you out of your mind!?"

"According to you!? Yes!"

"Damn it, Max! I just wanted to help you!"

"By going around telling everyone that I have a screw loose!?"

"I didn't mean to make it sound that bad! Dahlia just got the wrong idea!"

"She didn't get the wrong idea! You just don't want to admit she said exactly what you were thinking!"

"Okay, maybe she was right to some degree, but how the hell am I supposde to think otherwise!?" Replied Alex as both him and Max were forced to raise their voice due to the sound of the wind blowing already starting to drown out their voices "Defending yourself is one thing, but what about what you did to that guy back at the Weathertop!? How was that something a sane person would do!?"

Max didn't reply this time, he simply glared at Alex while he kept on going.

"You're not okay, Max! I don't know what happened to you that you're not telling me but it's eating away at you!" Explained the sportsman in an attempt to make the young man become aware of how he was becoming more and more unstable "That's why I brought you all the way here to meet Dahlia! Because you need help!"

"I don't need help! Especially not from a woman!" Snarled Max after finally losing his patience and turning around to walk away

"Hey, where are you going now!?"

"To the obelisk!"

"I told you already! You're going to die if you try climbing up the mountain right now!"

"I'd rather risk my neck up here than go back and be called a madman by those women!"

"Are you serious!?" Snarled Alex while walking towards Max "Are you seriously gonna go and get yourself killed just because you'd rather not be in the same place as Lily and Alice!?"

Max didn't reply, he simply kept walking forward while Alex followed behind.

"I just don't get it, man! Why do you hate her so much!?" Snarled the sportsman, who was already fed up with the young man's aggressive attitude towards women, particularly towards the young woman and the little girl "It's one thing that you have a chip on your shoulder against women in general, but why Alice!? What the hell did she do to deserve it!?"

As far as good people went, Alice was nothing short of a role model in that regard. She was kind, dilligent, respectful and always tried to help by being positive. Yet, his very older brother showed her nothing but hatred despite her doing no wrong on him. If anything, she showed to care deeply about him as a family member.

"Is it because your father got re-married with her mother!? Is that it!?" He asked, now standing right behind him "Just how long are you gonna keep blaming her for something she had nothing to do with!? For what happened to your mother!?"

When hearing this, Max stopped dead in his tracks.

"It's not not her fault she died in an accident!"

In just a split moment, the young man turned around and punched Alex in the face hard enough to make him fall back to the floor.

"Hey! What the hell was that for!?"

"That's right! She died in an accident...!" Said Max, the anger in his tone slowly fading away and his tone growing quieter "A horrible accident..."

"Max...?"

Alex was rendered almost speecheless by this sight. During the whole conversation Max showed nothing but anger, but something seemed different this time around. His eyes were lowered and would not meet with Alex's, but there was a notable anguish in them.

"Just leave me be already..." Said the young man before turning around and beginning to walk away again.

"Max, wai-!"

Before Max could take more than three steps or Alex could even extend his hand towards him, multiple growling sound began to echo through the air all around them. Soon enough, the source revealed itself to them.

A large pack of direwolves, most likely numbering around fourteen or so, surrounded them on the path. Most of them were still focused on one point, where the two students could see even smaller wolves hidding under some of their adult counterparts, growling at them all the same.

"Wolves!? Where did this many of them come from!?" Asked Alex as he broke a cold sweat while getting up and looking around at them

"They were probably searching for a cave to use as a hideout from the blizzard" Replied Max while taking a step back

Both men pressed their backs against each other as the direwolves began to approach them, a cold sweat breaking and running down their backs as they felt the impending threat of death. At the same time, Wilson began to chirp a few times while sticking closer to Max's leg.

"Wilson, don't jinx it..."

Unfortunately for Max and Alex, the wolves would be the least of their worries. Just as they were close enough to leap at them, a powerful new roar echoed through the wind and caught everyone's attention. Though the surrounding snowstorm made it difficult to see very far in their surroundings, but the heavy footsteps made them realize this new threat was a much larger one, and the reactions from the direwolves showed it wasn't exactly a friend of theirs either.

"Something tells me the snowstorm isn't the only thing they were trying to hide from!" Said Alex while looking at the direcction where the sound was coming from.

Some of the wild canines quickly made a run for it with their young while others faced the direction the roars came from while taking some distance. Just a couple of moments later, it finally showed itself. A dinosaur, but one unlike anything either Max or Alex had seen so far. In terms of size, it was larger than a Megalosaurus but smaller than a Spinosaurus. It's body was covered in thick downy feathers and it had a pair of horns over it's eyes, though what was easily the most eerie trait of this beast was the blood-chilling roars it released. Even from far away they were capable of making Max and Alex feel a chill running down their spines.

"See, Wilson!? That's why you never ask how things could get any worse!" Snarled Max at his Dodo while pointing at the large carnivore.

"Is it really the time to argue with your Dodo!?"

The feathered dinosaur looked at the direwolves and the trio before taking a deep breath and releasing a roar powerful enough to create a slight shockwave that forced both men to cover themselves with their arms for a short moment before it finally stopped. It didn't seem like they were the only ones feeling frightened by these outstandingly powerful roars as many of the direwolves quickly made a run for it in a panic while the few that remained could hardly move. Fortunately for them, the large carnivore's advance was suddenly interrupted after someone or something quickly dashed out of nowhere and landed on top of its head before beginning a franatic attack on it. Neither Max nor Alex were sure who or what this creature was due to the snowstorm becoming thicker and how it kept moving at an inhumanly fast speed, jumping from one side to the other as it attacked the feathered dinosaur's face while avoiding the sharp jaws.

"This is our chance! We have to get out of here now!" Yelled Alex while turning his head to look at Max, who had little choice other than to follow his idea

As the two of them and Wilson tried to make a run for it through the increasingly thicker snow, the fight between the feathered dinosaur and the mysterious being kept raging on. The roars of the large carnivore echoing all over the place like shockwaves being shot all over the area with reckless abandon until one of them hit a higer point of the mountain, causing a massive amount of piled up snow to grow loose and slide down. The momentum of this snow caused a chain reaction that forced an even larger amount of snow to get dragged along as it slid down the mountain, eventually resulting in a large avalanche that engulfed everything in it's path.

Unfortunately for Max, Alex and Wilson, they were right in that path.

"An avalanche!? Are you serious!?" Yelled the sportsman as he looked at the incoming natural disaster with widened eyes

Both men and the bird moved as fast as they could, but escaping such a thing was clearly impossible on foot.

"Look out!"

The chaotic fight between the direwolves and their feathered enemy was quickly cut short by the raging avalanche, drowing out even the sound of the incoming blizzard and forcing both sides to run away to seek safety from it.

Everything became a blur for both men as they got caught by the frozen hell and dragged away by it. Max and Alex struggled as hard as they could, attempting to get a grip of any rocks or trees and hold on for dear life, but it was to no avail. The sportsman lost sight of the young man as the pure white of snow quickly turned into pitch black darkness, the raging wrath of nature drawing away all sound as he got buried deep within it.

"Urgh..."

Woken up by the cold seeping into his body and a beating feeling on his forehead, Max slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first and the disorientated state he was in didn't help all that much either, but he quickly became more aware of his surroundings. The first thing to grace his vision being Wilson, who was standing right in front of him and kept poking him in the top of the head to wake him up faster.

Not a very pleasant way to wake up someone, but it was certainly doing the trick.

"Damn it, Wilson! Knock it off!"

The first thing Max was able to notice after the Dodo's relentless attack against his head ceased was that his body was buried up to his shoulders in snow in a rather uncomfortable position, but at least one of his arms had only been partially buried into the snow, making it easy for him to pull it out and use it to push himself upwards. First causing his other arm to surface from the frozen ground and allowing him an extra source of leverage. Dragging himself out of the snow took quite an amount of effort, but he managed to do it nonetheless.

He had quite a few bruises and his fur clothes were torn and ragged on quite a few spots, but nothing felt or seemed to be broken so far.

"Alex...?" He muttered after catching his breath and before looking around him

The terrain all around him was completely uneven and filled with broken or half buried trees. Judging by the distance of the blue obelisk, it was safe to say he was dragged down quite a distance, but not all the way to the bottom. Max was nowhere to be found either, hinting at his luck not favoring him as well as it did for the young man. Hopefully, he had managed to survive the avalanche too, but there was no time to think about it.

Once he was able to get up on his feet, the young man got moving again. The cold was hitting him even harder due to the tears and rips in his clothes and just the act of walking made his sore muscles ache, but Max couldn't allow himself to sit still right now. The blizzard was only moments away from setting in, and both him and Wilson needed to find shelter fast.

As the two of them went back up the mountain in search of a cave to hide in, they stumbled upon the direwolves once more. This time, though, there was little to fear since most of them were buried half-way through in the snow and relatively far as well.

One piece of this scenery that caught his attention in particular was that of a small wolf cub lingering around one of the buried wolves. The young canine kept digging and digging without rest to try and help out the wolf, but it's small and weak paws were hardly able to make a significant dent in the hard and cold snow.

Max looked in silence at this vain effort as he walked by before getting close enough to be noticed by the cub, which quickly faced him and began barking in an attempt to threaten him into staying away. Nonetheless, the young man leaned forward and extended his hand towards the half-buried wolf, taking a hold of it by the torso. And as one would expect, the cub didn't stay quiet and quickly reacted by bitting down on Max's right forearm. Wilson was quick to panic, but the young man hardly stopped for just a couple of seconds before resuming with what he had planned to do.

Using all the strength he could muster, Max pulled on the direwolf. It took a moment or so of strenuous effort, but he managed to slowly pull the canine out of the snow. Seeing this, the cub's eyes widened before it finally let go of the young man's forearms to hurry up to his mother's side, barking with a much happier tone. Meanwhile, Max walked away with Wilson in search of shelter without saying a single word.

"(It's getting even colder...)" He thought as the wind began to blow even harder after a short while

The sky was covered completely by the clouds and his surroundings slowly became harder and harder to see. There was no time left, he had to hurry up and find somewhere to weather the storm. Unfortunately, his body was already starting to give out.

"(Damn it...Not here!)"

The first to give out were his legs, forcing him to fall down on his knees. Max tried to get back up, but it was no use. His body felt too heavy to move. He tried to remedy this by crawling, but his arms were hardly in any better shape than his legs, and were quick to grow weaker as well.

"(I'm not gonna die here...I refuse to die here!)" He thought while slowly dragging himself forward, refusing to give up "(I'll make it back...I won't let those women have it their way! I...I...!)"

Despite Max's best effort, his mind slowly grew hazy and everything around him began to fade into darkness. Eventually, he dropped on the snow and passed out, his consciousness slowly fading away.

Wilson desperately attempted in vain to wake him up by chirping as hard as it could and poking him in the head, but the young man didn't respond. Though something else did take notice of this desperate call for help.

The Dodo quickly turned it's head around after hearing a new set of steps and saw someone coming their way. This unknown individual approached them and looked down at the unconscious Max, it's piercing amber eyes quietly staring at the young man before a large humanoid paw was extended and took a hold of him, picking him up with ease and carrying him deeper into the snowy mountain as the Dodo followed behind, all of them slowly fading away from sight as the howling of wolves echoed through the frigid air.


	10. The werewolf

"Max, dude! Look!" Said Alex while pointing at the sheet with his name on it from among the many other sheets "I did it! I nailed the entrance exam!"

"Congrats, Alex" Replied the young man while looking at his friend with a smile

"So how did you do?"

"You tell me"

Max pointed at one of the sheets from the blue student's board with a confident smile, allowing Alex to be the one to take a look and track down his friend's name among the many students who took the entrance exam.

"Hmmm...Ah! There it is!" Said the sportsman after finding Max's name, his expression changing into a baffled one after realizing his score "2nd place!?"

Alex turned his head to look at Max once again, who had his arms crossed and a proud smile on his face at the moment.

"Damn...You're really good at studying, aren't you?"

"I worked hard, that's all"

"Not gonna argue against that one"

Both young teens, now highschool freshmen, applied for the entrance exams of both the blue and green school respectively, two of the four major schools belonging to a large educational institution. And, as one could expect of such a renowned set of schools, the entrance exams for each one posed a level of challenge that would require ample amounts of studying. Of course, both Max and Alex sacrificed hours upon hours in preparation, with the latter requiring the help of the former to be able to keep up. But in the end both of them managed to nail the exam and gain entrance into their chosen schools.

"Man, I still can't believe I managed to nail the exam! I owe you big time for this one, Max!"

"Don't sweat it. It's normal for friends to help each other"

"Damn right it is!" Replied Max with a smile before looking at his name on the board "Guess now I'm a student of the Sports and medicine academy of peerless green"

"And I'm a student of the General academy of blue excellence for the future" Added Alex while looking at his name on the sheet as well

With their grades aqcuired, both young freshmen made their way through the other students who were either celebrating their victory or cursing at their defeat until finally being out of the crowd and leaving the school grounds.

As the two of them walked down the streets, conversation quickly erupted once more.

"But man, am I jealous of you Max!"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I mean, not only did you manage to nail the exam but you even scored second on the board!" Explained the sportsman with his gaze focused forward "And now you even get to have a cute little sister to boot!"

"Yeah, I guess so..." Replied Max, sounding more hesitant this time

"Her name was Alice, right?" Said Alex, too focused on his own train of thought to notice Max's less than enthusiastic answer at the moment "I'm telling you, I'd be totally okay with having a cute little sister like her and do siblings stuff like hanging out and playing games and watching movies and even sleeping together every now and then"

"That last one sounded a bit too close to something a siscon or even a lolicon would say, you know?"

"What's so wrong about sharing a bed with your siblings!? It's normal, I'm telling you! Normal!" Quickly replied the sportsman while turning his head to look at Max with a mixture of concern and a blush.

"Whatever you say, Alex" Replied back Max with a smirk

"Still man, you can't deny she's cute"

"You know I'm not interested in the whole "cute, not cute" deal" Said Max before taking a short moment "Buuuut...I guess she IS kind of cute...Just a little, though..."

"I told you!"

A short moment of silence took over as the two kept walking. A certain doubt that arose within Alex's mind ever since he heard the news regarding Max's new family structure was once again his main focus. And since the subject was up on the table, he finally decided to ask away.

"Hey, Max...Mind if I ask you something?"

"Shoot"

"So your dad's getting re-married with that woman...But what about your mom? Your real one I mean" Asked the sportsman while turning his head to look at him "What happened to her?"

"She...She died in an accident..."

"Oh...Sorry about that..."

"It's okay...I...It...just happened..."

Once again silence took over, but this time it came along with a rather heavy mood lingering in the air. The only way to break it would be by changing the subject into something more cheerful. And fortunately for Alex, he already had something in mind.

"A-Anyway! Guess we're gonna be attending different schools now, aren't we?"

"Oh, right. I didn't think about that" Said Max, snapping out of his pensive state of thought and focusing on the new subject at hand "Guess we won't get to hang out together very often from now on, huh?"

The sportsman had hoped their new positions as students would lighten up the mood, but the rather gloomy train of thought both were having so far caused them to come up with the bad part of things first. This didn't discourage Alex though.

"Screw that! It ain't gonna happen!"

"Huh?"

In a sudden moment, Alex took a hold of Max's shoulder with his right hand and drew him closer while looking at him with a confident smile.

"We can still hang out together just as often as we did up until now! Who cares if we go to dfifferent schools!?" Said the sportsman while pointing at himself with his thumb "No matter how cool my new school is, I ain't gonna walk out on you just because of that!"

The young man looked at his friend with a mixture of surprise and confusion before lowering his gaze and smiling with honest relief.

"Thank you, Alex..."

"That's what friends are for, remember?" He replied Max with an even bigger smile "So if shit hits the fan on your side, just say the word and I'll be right there to lend you a hand!"

"Yeah, I will...!"

"You can always count on me!"

Both freshmen now began to celebrate passing their entrance exam once again. A refreshed and much more joyful mood lingering in the air this time.

"Now come on! Let's go celebrate with some burgers!"

Max's relief and joy at the knowledge that the had a true friend to rely on, and Alex's confidence in his desire to stick by his first and truest friend all the way to the end. It was a solid friendship the two of them wanted to keep.

"Yeah...I believe you...Or at least I believed you..."

In a sudden moment, there was a warmth, wet and tingly feeling in Alex's left hand. He quickly took a look at his palm only to see in horror that it was drenched in blood and covered in dozens of large ants, all of them crawling in the thick blood.

He instantly wanted to shake them off, but his arm wouldn't obey him. It wouldn't move a single inch, almost as if it had been frozen in place.

"So why?" Asked Max, causing Alex to turn his head and look at him.

The sight he beholded was one that could only be described as blood-chilling. Max's face and hair were drenched in blood, causing the latter to grow heavier and stick to his face. A large open cut going from his left cheek to his nose and all the way through the right eye socket where a knife was lodged deep within. His face splitting open and revealing the deep red color of his flesh. The right side of his face was both shadowed by the blood and distorted by the searing cut, making the once aloof and friendly expression change into the resentful and downright vicious expression he showed back at the Weathertop.

"WHY DID YOU LIE!?"

Alex instantly opened his eyes and got up as he finally regained control over his body, but this was stopped after a sharp pain hit his whole body like a bolt of lightning and forced him to place one hand over his abdomen.

"Urgh!"

"Alex!?"

Looking at his surroundings in a panic, he saw the members of his group along with Valentino and Frederick. Even Dahlia was there as well, though Bjorn was nowhere to be seen. There were a few bruises and cuts on his arms and chest along with a bandage made of cloth wrapped around his forehead. The first things that he heard were the crackling of fire coming from the standing torches and the harsh sound of wind raging outside the walls.

"Wha-!? What was-!?"

"Easy there, Alex...You're okay now. Beat up, but okay nonetheless" Said the middle-aged man while approaching him and sitting on a chair next to the bed "Just don't move too much or you could make it worse"

"What...What happened? Where am I?"

"We're in the Northern tribe's guest room" Explained Alice to him "Mister Frederick brought you here after you went out there during the blizzard"

"How are you feeling?" Asked Lily

"Like someone just ran me over with a truck twice in a row..."

"I'm not surprised after what you just went through" Replied Valentino

"(I see...)" Thought Alex while placing one hand over his eyes as he recalled his horrible dream "(So it was just a nightmare...)"

The sportsman could not recall the last time he had such a disturbingly vivid nightmare or even a dream about that time. Usually the latter was kept deep within his memory as a bad reminder of past years rather than something he wanted to think about.

"Hang on! What about Max!?" He thought after his train of thought suddenly made him remember Max and the events that took place earlier "Is he okay!?"

Either be it on one of the other beds, on a corner away from the rest of the group or close to the door, neither Max nor Wilson were on sight despite looking all around him. Alex partly hoped he was just outside wandering within the tribe's camp or within another building, though his mind couldn't help but begin to imagine the worst case scenarios and the dead silence from those around him as they either looked at him or at eachother didn't help either.

"Hey, everyone!"

"I'm sorry, Alex. I couldn't find him..." Said Frederick, who was the first to break the silence "Just being able to find you after that avalanche was a miracle in itself, and with the blizzard right on us I hardly had time to make it back in one piece"

Inmediately Alex tried to get up from the bed, but the throbbing pain from his injuries stopped him on his tracks.

"Are you okay!?" Asked Lily while she stepped closer to him after seeing his pained reaction.

"Didn't we just tell you not to move too much!? You're gonna hurt yourself even more if you don't sit still!" Added Valentino

"Forget about that! We need to hurry up and find Max!"

"That's insane!"

"I don't care if it is! I'll go anyway!"

Both the student from the white school and the young woman tried to keep Alex from getting up from the bed, but even in his current state it was quite an arduous task to keep him still.

"Hey, stop struggling!"

"Let go, damn it! Let go of me!" He snarled while trying to shove both of them away "I have to find him! I can't ditch him again!"

"Ditch him again?" Asked Lily, whose attention was caught by the peculiar choice of words he just used.

"What do you mean by that?"

The sportsman eventually ceased his struggle and looked first at Lily and Valentino, then at those around him before lowering his head slightly while sitting cross-legged.

"Hey Lily. Do you remember how everyone back at the Weathertop seemed so anxious about Max all the time?"

"Yeah..." Replied the young woman while nodding, her mind recalling all the unwelcoming stares the blue students gave to the young man back when they arrived despite receiving everyone else in the group rather warmly, and that even persisted during their whole stay right until the moment they left "It was like no one but Angela wanted him to be there..."

Despite being a student from the same school and even class, everyone in the Weathertop treated Max like he was carrying a plague. Those who didn't loathe him seemed fearful of him instead. Even the blue flower, who expressed her relief at the knowledge that he was alive, seemed to have mixed feelings about his presence at first.

"It's because of something that happened a few years ago back when we were on our first year" Explained Alex to them "He nearly killed someone..."

Some among the group looked more surprised than others by the news, but Rick hardly seemed fazed by it. He simply listened in silence as Alex went into detail about the event that marked Max and turned him into the bitter individual everyone knows him as today.

"Wait...Now I remember! There was a big incident that spread around like a wildfire back on my first year about a freshman from the blue school and a female senior from the green school" Said Valentino, who had been listening quietly to the story until all the mention of the freshman year sparked an old memory of his "So that was him?"

"Yeah..."

"Wait a moment...What incident?" Asked Alice, who seemed utterly confused about what Alex and Valentino was talking about

"I don't remember the whole story from back then, but they said that a first-year from the blue school assaulted a female senior from the green school with a knife, messing up her face so badly she ended up dropping out of school and moving to another city with her family" Explained Valentino to the little girl "The incident never went public because the school helped cover it up in order to save face and avoid backlash from the public due to their oversight, but Apparently there were some rumors saying the female senior was someone that constantly harassed first-years from the blue school until this particular one finally snapped and took revenge on her"

"It's true. I heard it from one of the girls on the same club as hers. the senior used to harass students from the blue school, and it seems she enjoyed to target Max in particular..." Interrupted Alex, getting everyone to focus on him once again "Most of the time it was just the stuff you'd usually expect from any bully, but one day she just went and took it too far..."

"What do you mean?"

"One day Max tried standing up to her, and she threatened him with a knife...I don't know what happened after that" Explained the sportsman as he recalled every detail he could "Because the two students that tagged along with her and an anonymous witness testified after an interrogation, the police ended up declaring the incident self-defense and allowed Max to go free of charges. By the time I found out about what happened, the rumors had already spread all over the four schools"

"Some of the rumors even said that the two students that confessed in his favor did so out of fear because he threatened them afterwards" Added Valentino

"I see..." Said Dahlia "If one were to assume that this incident became the stigma that caused him to become alienated from the other students, then it could probably explain why he loathes women so much..."

"(Is that...Really all there is to it, though?)" Thought Lily to herself, feeling something still didn't add up about it.

"There's still one question left unanswered here..." Added the White flower "How exactly do you fit in all of this?"

"Max and I know each other all the way from elementary school. We were really good friends back then too, but that quickly changed after I enrolled in the green school and he went for the blue one" Explained the sportsman "Because I was good at all kinds of sports, I quickly became something of a multi-sport athlete star among the first-years, but I got so focused on all the praise and the groups of new friends around me that I slowly spent less and less time with Max, up to the point that we hardly kept talking to each other midway through the year...It was around that time when the incident happened"

Max and Alex's long-lasting friendship could be traced all the way back to their first few years of elementary school education. It was common for people to usually drift away from each other after starting highschool, but Alex wanted to avoid this from happening. In doing so, he attempted to consolidate their friendship through that one promise, but this attempt to strengthen his bond with Max ended up being something he would break with his own hands, and something that would weight down on his mind for years to come.

"By the time I finally mustered up the courage to go see him, he turned into a completely different person" Continued the sportsman, his expression showing dissapointment in himself as he placed both hands on his head"After that day, he became so angry and bitter...I never saw him smile again, not even once...And it's all my fault..."

"That's not true, Alex" Said Lily in an attempt to lift up the sportsman's spirits "It wasn't your fault"

"She's right. There was no way for you to know" Added Valentino

"That's the problem! I _should_ have known!" Replied the sportsman while looking at them "If I had pulled my head out of my ass and actually tried listeing to him, maybe I could have done something about it! Maybe I could have even stopped it from happening altogether!"

How many times did he ignore or reject Max's attempts to hang out or talk with him? And how many of those times were probably meant to be an attempt to ask for his help? How crushing it must have felt to have the one person you trust the most turn their back on you when you needed them the most?

These questions kept popping one after the other inside his head, almost like a twisted melody meant to endlessly torture his mind.

"I think I get it now..." Said Dahlia with her eyes closed "After hearing you story, I finally have a clear conception of your mindset...And I think I can draw a conclusion about you as a person with this information..."

"Me as a person...?"

"You...You're an hypocrite..."

Everyone looked almost right away at Dahlia, with Alex being the most shocked one by her statement.

"At first sight you look like a stubborn yet understanding person that cares deeply about those around him and is more than brave enough to face danger for their sake, but this is just a front. In reality all you care about is your own self and this false image of yourself that you built, and in your fear of being rejected by those of the green school and facing solitude you tried to keep Max at arm's length as a safety measure. And as you steadily gained popularity among your peers you also began to distance yourself from him in order to focus more in your newer and more exciting lifestyle. You basically tried to discard him like an old rag..."

"Tha-That's wrong! I-!"

"When the incident took place you saw a chance, an opportunity to make yourself look even better among those of the green school by sticking closer to Max and giving everyone the impression that you were a kind and compasive type of person, and maybe even to save face by keeping Max from saying anything about you never trying to help when it was needed despite his attempts to seek out your assistance" Continued Dahlia, not even allowing the sportsman a moment to retort "If anything, this "guilt" you feel is probably just you fooling yourself into think you actually cared about him in order to make the work of sticking around him less fatiguing"

Alex wanted to argue back, he wanted to speak against this, yet no words came out of his mouth. He was unable to understand this inability of his to retort until he came to recall one memory that always slipped by.

On the day of the stabbing incident, he was attending a party with a group of friends just like he did so very often. This time around he even got himself a hot date too, but midway through the party his phone kept getting messages constantly. He knew they were from Max just by taking a quick look at the screen, but he didn't bother to open them as he didn't want to divert his attention away from the party for too long. Even when his date inquired about the messages, he simply lied by saying he was just getting a lot of spam before erasing them and putting his phone on silent. All the while thinking of Max as being just annoying right now.

This sudden memory caused Alex to be struck by an ephipany like a bat to the head. Now he understood why he was unable to muster a word against Dahlia's accusations.

"You said he was the one with an unhealthy mind, but maybe you should take a moment to look at yourself first..."

With these final words, the white flower got up from the bed and left the room. Not shortly after Rick decided to leave as well, the knowledge he wanted already in hand.

"Erm...I think I should get going. Dinner starts soon, and I don't want to wait in line too much" Said Valentino in an attempt to excuse himself before heading for the door

"Same here. I'd like to have a chat with Bjorn before going to sleep" Added Frederick before getting up from the chair and following behind the student

Unlike the other two, Lily thought about talking with the sportsman once more before one look at the middle-aged man shaking his head at her persuaded her from doing so.

Both of them probably wanted the same thing as the young woman, but they knew it would be for the best to give Alex some time to think about things by himself rather than disturb him with words that would most likely have no effect on his state of mind.

"(Alex...)" She thought while looking at the sportsman one more time over her shoulder before she and Alice left the room, with the latter tightly holding onto her hand.

"Hey, Lily..."

"What's wrong, Alice?"

"You don't think big brother is a bad person too, do you?"

"Alice..."

Up until this point the one source of assurance Alice had when it came to Max as a person was Alex. No matter how many people thought of her brother as a vile person, the sportsman would always deny these claims and assure her she was right about believing there was good in her older brother. This time that source itself was the one saying those things, leaving Alice unsure what to believe and with Lily as her only hope for an answer. Knowing this, the young woman looked at the little girl and said the words with as much conviction as she could muster.

"It's okay. I don't think that" She replied with a smile, reassuring the little girl

At this point Lily wasn't completely sure wheter those words were meant to ease Alice's worries or her own worries. But she would hopefully come up with a more proper answer sooner or later, for both of them.

* * *

*Scene*

Deep within the snowy mountain, now hidden away by the relentless wrath of nature's blizzard, the young man laid unconscious. His mind drifting through the seemingly endless darkness until the faint sound of the wind blowing woke him up. His eyes slowly opened up only to be received yet again by darkness, but this time, it was not a dream.

"(Where...am I?)" He thought with drowsyness"(Where's Wilson?)"

As his eyes slowly got accustomed to the dim surroundings, Max came to realize he was surrounded by natural stone wall formations all around him. There were a few stalagnites and stalactites along with uneven stone formations. He soon came to realize this was the inside of a cave, and quite deep within, judging by how faint the wind on the outside sounded. But coming to this conclusion only brought further confusion, as he only recalled passing out on the snow. At first he thought maybe this was Alex's or Wilson's doing, but the sportsman would most likely have already tried to make a campfire to brave the cold while he was asleep and the Dodo was out of the question as there was no way for it to have the strength required to drag his body around.

One thing that did catch his attention was how little cold he felt at the moment. Sure, his current location protected him from the harsh winds raging on the outside, but he should still be able to feel at least some more cold than he was feeling right now, especially with the rips and tears in his fur clothes.

"(Hm?)"

In the midst of his attempts to understand his current situation, a sudden feeling of weight shifting from his right shoulder to the center of his chest caught his attention. He tried to touch it with his hand, thinking it was Wilson sleeping over him like he usually did, but the feeling he got proved him wrong. Instead of feathers, he felt a soft and fuzzy piece of fur unlike the one he was wearing. The shape was oddly like that of a hand, except that the fingers and the hand in general felt notably bigger than those of a normal human hand.

"(What is this thing?)"

Max turned his head to look next to him and saw a shadowy figure laying right next to him, the head slightly raised and staring at him with large amber-colored eyes. Needless to say, this sight caused him to almost instantly move away in a panic and drag himself all the way to the stone wall. The shadowy figure seemed surprised by this but did no sudden movements. Instead it simply looked at him for a moment or two before slowly approaching him.

In his panic the young man looked around him for a loose rock or anything he could find to defend himself, but instead stumbled upon his backpack. Quickly opening it and searching the insides for something to use, he found a piece of spare cloth, a few wooden sticks and some flint stones he kept in case he needed to make a quick campfire. He took the thickest stick of the bunch and wrapped the spare cloth on the end of it before smacking the flint against the stone floor where he placed the end of the stick, causing sparks to fly up and land into the cloth which then went up in flames and gave him a proper source of light to get a better look and hopefully scare away whatever this incoming danger was.

"Au!? Bright! Bright!"

"Huh?"

With a quick swing of the hastily made torch Max was able to look at the incoming figure, though it wasn't what he expected. The first thing he caught notice of was the face. It was that of caucasian young woman, most probably of around the same age as him if not the same age. She had amber eyes with large irises and long and shaggy gray-ish hair that framed her face and her bangs were even longer than Lily's, almost hidding her eyebrows. Her body was lean and she had a decently average chest size, though these were pretty much the only "average" things about her.

"A woman...?"

As his panic subsided, the young man simply looked at the woman back off and cover her face with her hands. Though it surprised him to see the massive furry thing he felt over his chest earlier was actually one of her hands. They were large and thick with fur that was colored just the same way as her hair and reached all the way up to her elbows. Her feet also were larger than those of a normal human and the fur reached all the way up to her knees. Just like the hands, they sported small claws, making them look more animalistic than human. The feet in particular looked more like those of a dog or even a wolf than a human. Another odd detail he noticed were a pair of large wolf ears spurting out from her hair wich seemed to twitch every few seconds, and even a tail, though how she kept it stuck there was beyond his understanding.

If this was some sort of tribal style or personal taste in clothing, then it was a rather inpractical and odd one considering she was literally wearing nothing on her torso, letting quite a lot of skin visible. The space between her legs faintly hidden away behind one of her hands, which was placed on the ground to support her on her crouching position.

"much bright! much close! Lupa not like that!" She said while covering her eyes with her other hand

"(What is this crazy woman going on about...?)" Thought Max with confusion.

The young man looked at the torch before looking at her again, then moved the source of light away from her to see if that would calm her down. And surprisingly it did.

"...Better...?"

"Better? ...Much bright, much close now less close, less bright..." Replied the odd woman while moving her hand away from her face and looking again at Max before beaming at him "Better good! Lupa like better!"

"Who are you? Where are we?"

"Who...Are...You?" She replied while tilting her head with a confused expression "Man say weird things...Weird things make Lupa confused..."

The woman's words were slow and caused Max to have a difficult time catching on at first due the odd way she formed sentences.

"Who are _you_?" He repeated, this time pointing his finger at her while emphasizing the word you "You...Lupa?"

The new approach seemed to work much better, as she caught on quickly thanks to the hand signal, though it probably wasn't in the way he was expecting.

"Lupa?...Lupa!" She said while pointing at Max and smiling, as if she had learned something amusing

"(So that's her name...Maybe?)" He thought while sweat dropping

Not only were her sentences worded strangely, but Lupa herself seemed to have a difficult time understanding the words of others or what they tried to convey through them.

"Anyway...I'm Max..."

"Max...? Anyway...?"

The young man closed eyes for a moment with slight irritation before opening them once again, looking at the woman and trying a new method.

"Max...Max..." He said while placing one hand on his chest, then extending that same hand towards Lupa "Lupa...Lupa..."

She looked at him for a moment with confusion before imitating his movements, though she referred to him as Lupa and herself as Max. She was only imitating him rather than understanding his words.

"Lupa...Max...Lupa...Max..."

"(It's like I'm talking to a wall...)"

Max struggled to come up with a way to communicate with Lupa as she processed the new words before they finally clicked on her head.

"Ah!...Lupa!" She said before point at herself, then at Max again "Max...Max...Lupa...Lupa!"

"Yes...Max..."

This time she managed to get the names right and seemed joyful about it. Max, on the other hand, felt like he could have a headache any moment now. Nonetheless, he tried to push on more questions and hoped she wouldn't take as long to understand them.

"This place...Where?"

"This place...? This place cave!" She replied to him "Always cold outside, now much cold outside...much cold dangerous...Lupa, Lupa family hide!"

"Lupa family?"

"Yes! Lupa family!"

Max looked around him with the torch and noticed that, just a short distance away, there was an entire pack of direwolves spread all over the cave. Some cuddled up together and trying to rest while others were staring intently at him, seemingly wary of his presence.

"(Wolves!?)" He thought in a panic while trying to move back, but only pressing his back against the wall in the process.

"Not danger! Lupa family not hurt Max!" Said Lupa while looking at him "Man Max make nice thing! Help family! Family like Max!"

"Nice thing?"

Just as he asked this question, the young man heard Wilson's chirping coming from among the direwolves around the cave. This was followed by the bird itself popping up from between them and quickly heading towards him. But he didn't come alone, as one of the Direwolf's cubs came alongside the Dodo

"Wilson!" He said with surprise while looking at the Dodo approaching

"fluffy friend outside, Max outside...Lupa bring Max, fluffy friend here" Explained Lupa in her own way "Fluffy friend worried, Max not wake up. Little one help fluffy friend wait. Play, become friends"

Max could only listen to half the explanation as the cub quickly lounged towards him, pressing both front paws against him and barking cheerfully while his little tail waved hastily from one side of the other.

"He-Hey! What's with you!?"

"Little one happy Max okay! Little one happy Max help mom!"

"(Mom?)" He thought while looking at the cub and recalling their first encounter outside on the mountain "(So that was her mother...)"

"Max help...Why help?" Asked Lupa, catching his attention "Lupa saw much others, much others look like Max, much others mean...Max not mean. Why?"

Looking once again at the young direwolf made Max wonder why did he indeed even bother helping her mother. Was it just a spur of the moment or perhaps simpathy stemmed from something within him?

"No reason, really..." He replied, a pensive look on his eyes as they met with those of the pup before he closed them and lowered his head "Anyway, get off of me already, will you? I get it you're thankful, but you're making my bruises sting"

The wolf girl looked at the young man attempting to gently get the small direwolf off of him for a moment or two before her ears began to move up again once more.

"Max different! Much others mean! Max kind! Lupa like kind Max!" She said before getting uncomfortably close to the young man "Max, Lupa make friend?"

"You...want me to be your friend?"

"Friend! Friend!"

Max looked at her silently for a moment before closing his eyes and sweat dropping at the rather incomprehensible turn of events.

"(First I get saved by a woman of all things, and a complete nutcase at that, and now she wants me to act like we're friends?)" He thought before looking at the pack of direwolves on the other side of the cave "(...No choice, I guess...)"

Understanding just Lupa's words was already a challenge in an on itself. Predicting what she would do if he rejected her request would be a far too dangerous move. Fighting his way through a whole pack of hungry direwolves and a nutcase in his current state was something he'd rather not do. And even if he was able to fight his way out of the cave, there was still a full-blown blizzard waiting to tear him appart, not to mention that yelling dinosaur.

"I get it...I'll be your friend"

It was a reluctant lie, but one made for the sake of his survival. Hopefully this thought would help make it more bearable.

"Max friend?"

"Yes...friend"

"Friend! Lupa make new friend! Lupa happy!" Said the wolfgirl while almost jumping from joy

"Yeah, yeah. Friend..." He replied to her before taking notice of how her chest bounced up and down with her movements, which caused him to make a question that bothered him from the moment he saw her "By the way, why are you even dressed like that anyway?"

"Dr-ess-ed?" She replied while tilting her head to the side with a confused expression "New friend says weird things again..."

"I'm asking why you're wearing all that fur on your limbs but leave your torso butt naked" Explained Max before pointing at her hands "And why even use gloves like those? You literally can't use your hands for anything with those-"

As he took a closer look, Max suddenly came to notice that, for something with so much fur, it was a surprisingly close-fitting glove. In fact, one could probably even call it skintight with how well it showed the contours of her forearm. But the moment that truly caused the shock to set in was when he came to notice the fur wasn't attached to a leather glove, but actually growing out of her very skin. It wasn't only fur, it was _her_ fur, a genuine part of her body. Not only that, but the shorter distance also made him notice Lupa's canine teeth were notably larger and sharper than those of a normal human as well.

"Huh...?"

The young man was rendered speechlees before he quickly looked at the ears and tail, both of them moving by themselves without anyone touching them. It became clear as day that Lupa might not be a direwolf, but she was certainly no human either.

"What...Are you?"

The wolf girl didn't reply and instead kept looking at him with a confused expression. A signal she either was not able to understand the question or maybe that not even she herself knew what she was.

"You're...not a lot like your family..."

"Lupa not like Lupa family, Lupa born other family. Lupa not remember first family. Lupa much small, much weak..." She explained "Lupa wander mountains until find new family...New family not like Lupa. Lupa not like family, one wolf not same. One wolf like Lupa. Wolf keep Lupa safe, give food, give water. Lupa like wolf much, Lupa call wolf mama"

Listening to her story caused Max's eyes to divert towards the direwolf pack. He imagined this "Mama" of hers to be quite old judging by the story, but none of the wolves he could see seemed that old to him. Not that he could really tell either way. But the wolfgirl's slow change of expression from cheerfulness into slight sadness made him get an idea of where this might be headed.

"Mama help Lupa grow big, grow strong. Lupa grow stronger, Mama grow older, grow weaker...One day, Mama grow tired, go sleep...Mama not wake up. Lupa wait much time, Mama never wake up..."

"I see..."

Max hardly could find any other words to say. All he did was downcast his eyes for a moment before focusing them on Lupa once again.

"Lupa make new Alpha, protect family...One day, clanky men appear"

"Clanky men?"

"Clanky men have shiny, smooth scales, make sound when walk. Have sharp, long, pointy things. Sticks that make boom, like furry men sticks. Clanky men fight furry men, figh, kill, fight, kill...Battle not stop. Forest burn, some animal join fight, other run...Lupa family run, cross mountain"

There was no need for deep thought for the young man to realize Lupa was talking about a battle between tribes. And judging by how she repeated the words fight and kill twice, it must have been a battle of a considerable size, probably even a full-scale war between some of the larger tribes considering they had enough metal weapons, armor and guns to sustain lenghty fights against each other for an extended amount of time.

"Clanky men not here, Lupa think mountain safe. Lupa wrong..." She said as her eyes became downcast and concerned "Big yelling monster attack Lupa family, chase family...Lupa fight big monster, stop big monster, big monster not give up, keep chasing, keep fighting. Lupa scared..."

"If you're scared, then why fight?"

"Lupa not scared monster kill Lupa, Lupa scared monster hurt family"

"Family..."

The word lingered within Max's mind for a moment or two. Unlike probably most if not all of the other students, it was by far the first time he thought about his family ever since getting stranded on the island. He couldn't help but wonder if his father was worried about him, but he unfortunately knew the answer to that already.

In order to dsitract his mind from this, the young man took the dry sticks stored in his backpack and began to arrange them together in a pyre with the largest ones close together on the bottom and the smaller pieces on top while at the same time taking a few loose rocks located around the cave and putting them in a circle. With everything now in place, he used the fire from his torch to light up the campfire and create a source of light and heat that would hopefully make the cold of the night easier to withstand.

"Max make fire sit?"

"It's a campfire"

"Camp...fire?" She repeated before looking carefully at the fire, then "Lupa not like fire. Fire hurt, fire dangerous"

"It won't hurt you if you don't touch it"

"Fire not hurt?"

"As long as you don't touch it"

"Not touch fire, fire not hurt?"

Max sat quietly and looked at the wolfgirl approach the small flame, then extend her hands towards it in the same way he was.

"Ah! Warm!"

Lupa moved her hands closer and further away a couple of times, feeling the warmth grow stronger or faint each time. She kept doing so for a few minutes before stopping and simply sitting down to look at it. As she did so, it just so happened to give Max an uncomfortably clear view of her nether regions and bare chest. And even if she wasn't exactly human, those parts of hers were human enough to bother him.

At the moment he had no spare clothes on him or enough cloth to fashion into something she could wear. All he could do was try and ignore it. Fortunately, Lupa began to feel drowsy and soon curled up to sleep around an hour or so after the cave became more pleasantly warm due to the campfire, making her vanity much harder to see.

"(Finally...)" He thought with relief before his attention was caught by the call of his bird "What do you want, Wilson?"

The young man looked at the Dodo as it chirped at him a few times.

"My Family? Why do you want to know about it now?" He asked back before receiving more chirping as a response "I don't want to talk about it"

Max's attempts to cut the subject short were not accepted by Wilson. The bird once again gave a more insistent chirp, and this time they it was more extensive.

"I'm only gonna say this one more time, Wilson. I don't want to talk about it" Replied the young man with a notably more irritated tone this time before looking at the fire again "Besides. It's her family, not mine..."

The Dodo remained silent this time. Instead of trying to argue any further, he decided to quietly stare at him.

"Just go to sleep already, will you?"

It took a few more moments of silence before Wilson finally followed the request and sat down next to Max's leg, then falling asleep after a minute or so. As for Max, he remained awake for an hour or so longer before finally giving in and laying down to sleep, the makeshift dagger firmly held in his hand just in case his new "friend" tried anything.

By the time morning arrived, he went to the entrance of the cave with Wilson while Lupa and the wolf pack were sleeping. The storm finally cleared out and the once raging winds turned back into a chilly yet calm breeze. The obelisk was clearly visible, though the angle was different from yesterday and there was still a fair amount of mountain between him and the base of the massive structure to climb.

"Ah! Friend here!"

Max turned around and saw Lupa approaching him. His attempt to quietly give her the slip had failed.

"(Damn it...)" He thought while clicking his tongue

"Why friend here? Here dangerous"

"Just...Looking at the obelisk..."

"O-be-lisk?" She asked with a tilted head before Max pointed her at the massive structure "Ah! Big Shiny! Friend mean big shiny!"

The young man ignored Lupa's ramblings while looking at the snowy slopes and rock formations in search of a path that he could take to reach the top.

"Big shiny really big, really weird. Lupa saw it, big shiny float over shiny circle, mountain top"

"Wait. You've been on the top of the mountain?"

"Yes! Lupa family reach mountain top!" She repiled while pointing with her large index finger at a spot among the rock formations "Lupa not like big shiny, Lupa not stay long. Yelling monster chase, family keep moving"

"(So there's a pass over there)" He thought while looking at the distinctive spot for a moment before walking towards it. Though Lupa was quick to notice this and attempted to stop him

"Ah! Friend, wait! Not go top! Top dangerous! Friend get hurt!" She said while quickly cutting the distance between them and placing one of her large humanoid paws on his shoulder.

The moment he felt her touch, panic sparked within Max before he quickly shoved her hand away with his arm while turning around. The dagger in his hand almost slicing her right in the face.

"Don't touch me!"

"Au!?" Yelped Lupa in surprise after being forced to step back "Friend!? Why friend attack Lupa!?"

"Don't you ever touch me again! You hear!?" He snarled while glaring at her intensely and pointing his dagger at her and the other hand squeezing tightly onto the shoulder she touched "Never touch me...Never...!"

The wolfgirl looked at the aggressive stare of the young man. She was confused and unable to understand just what happened to suddenly make him do that, and if she had done something to make him react in such a way. But what confused her the most was that, behind that aggression, she could sense an intense fear lingering underneath.

"Friend...Angry? Scared? Why?" She asked before the young man once again turned around and walked away "Wait! Friend!"

"Don't follow me!" He snarled without even turning to look at her "And stop calling me friend! I'm not your damn friend!"

"Eh!? Friend not friend now!?" Asked Lupa with a mixture of shock and confusion "Why!? Lupa make bad thing!?"

"Get this through that thick head of yours..." He replied while turning his head to glare at her over his shoulder, this time none of that anger or fear present, but rather a much darker emotion swelling forth "I don't make friends with women"

And with these last few words, the young man faced forward and began walking once again. The dsitance between him and Lupa steadily growing with each step as the latter looked at him leave her behind.

Meanwhile, back at the tribe of the nordic pelts, Alex and the group gathered one last time on Bjorn's home to discuss their course of action. The sportsman was well enough to get up and move, though his current problem was somewhere else besides his body.

"Well then. That should suffice, I hope" Said the burly man after double-checking on the sheet of paper in which Dahlia specified the numbers of traded supplies between the tribe and Frederick's caravan, then handing it over to the middle-aged man for him to check

"Yes, it will" He replied after taking a short look at the sheet, his voice showing a hint of exhaustion before his eyes focused once again on his old friend "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused"

"Do not be, old friend. If anything, I should be the one to apologize" Replied back the burly man, his eyes diverting all so slightly towards the others in the room with them

A slight mixture of regret and dissilusion in his eyes as they met with those of the group, and it was hard for anyone to blame him for it. The trip taken by Alex and his group was one filled with countless dangers and risks, but nonetheless the hope of finding some answers or, at the very least, a helping hand for one of their own gave them the conviction to take up the challenge. Yet, they received nothing of the sort. Quite the contrary, this proved to be a disastrous decision. The answers they sought from the blue obelisk were sealed away at the top of a mountain that would be filled with deadly creatures, including the one from yesterday. And Dahlia, who they hoped would be able to help them find a way to help Max in some way or another, only ended up causing him to abandon the place and his group without a second thought. Not only that, but her relentless remarks and psychological analysis also forced Alex to face a side of himself he didn't believe would exist, reducing him to his current downcast state.

"Now then, if you don't mind me asking. What will you do next?" Asked Bjorn while turning his head to look at Alex's group

Despite everyone's gaze being directed at the sportsman, not a word came out of him. In the end it was Rick who took a step forward and spoke out.

"We were planning to go to the blue obelisk and see if we could find something useful, but I guess that's easier said than done"

"Indeed...The mountain is full of vicious beasts, especially "that" one..."

"That one?"

Bjorn went silent for a moment or two with his eyes closed before opening them to look at them again.

"If you're indeed planning to go, then I believe there's something you should know. That mountain has become the home of some very vicious beasts" He explained to them, his tone notably more stern than before "One of them is a large, feathered predator with the voice of a banshee that instill fears into the hearts of even the beasts that inhabit these lands, and the other one is a creature of the likes I've never seen before...It bears the figure of a human but also the appearance of a wolf"

"A human that look like a wolf? You can't possibly mean...A werewolf, right?" Asked the sailor while breaking a cold sweat

"Unfortunately, I do" He replied with a calm tone as his eyes turned to look at the open window "I have only seen it once, but that strength and speed were not something common men could achieve"

Rick and the others were not even sure what to say at this point. Extinct animals and even dinosaurs were one thing, but things such as werewolves jumped beyond the realm of logical fact and jumped straight into the territory of mythology. But even if Rick was unable to believe it, Alex knew Bjorn wasn't lying. He himself saw the creature he was speaking of, even if it was a mere glimpse.

"And to make matters worse, these two beasts are constantly engaging in combat. Wheter it's an old feud between adversaries or a battle for dominance of the mountain, their presence has made it difficult for our tribe to hunt. It has come to the point where we can hardly meet the required amount to do proper trades or even keep our food supplies from dwindling"

"So that's why everyone looks so anxious..."

"If you still wish to climb the mountain, I will not stop you. But be warned, you might be forced to face unimaginable danger"

Everyone went silent for a moment or so. Facing danger was by no means something new for them. As dangerous as the mountain might be it was no different from any other place in the island and, even if similar to what they found in the other two, what they could learn from the blue obelisk might be an indispensable piece of the mistery surrounding the massive structures. Not to mention, they might even be able to stumble upon Max, who would hopefully still be alive.

There was only one problem. The group itself was almost in shambles at this point. Alex who usually spearheaded the group was unable to say even a word and the growing disparity in oppinions between him and Rick made the unity of the group slowly begin to fall appart. If the decision to go was made, then he would indeed come along and fight if it was needed. What truly caused worry in his and the young woman's mind was that at the moment not only was one of their three main fighters not present, but also one was in a condition that would most likely affect his effectiveness in battle. Lily was more than willing to pick up a spear if needed. Even in this case their fighting power would still remain in a state of being reduced by more than half their usual strength.

"Even if it's dangerous, we still have to go!" Said Alice with assurance in her tone "Big brother is definitely there! And he could need our help!"

"Big brother, you say..." Exclaimed Dahlia, causing everyone's eyes to divert to her "You seem very intent on caring about him, but what do you know about him exactly?"

"Eh?"

"Dahlia..." Said Bjorn, but his call was ignored by the white flower

"Your attitude seems to indicate you care quite a lot about him"

"That's because we're family!"

"That's what you think, but what about him? Does HE think of you as family?"

"I..."

"Speculating from everything I've heard so far about him, he doesn't seem to be very fond of women. And as far as I'm concerned family doesn't seem to be an exception for him" She said with her eyes focused on the little girl "And considering he left without even telling you a word, It seems likely that your idea of family is a one-side one"

"That's not true!"

"Then why didn't he tell you?"

"That's...That's because he's not doing okay right now!" Snarled Alice, attempting to make sense of the young man's actions "Something bad happened to big brother, so he's not okay right now!"

"So you're basically gonna be using the same excuse as him? Or is it simply because you can't come up with a convincing excuse of your own other than "Because we're family"?"

"Uh...Uhhhhh!"

"Your initially polite and silent behavior proves you were given a proper upbringing. Hence why you stick strongly to that idea. But you fail to see things happening right in front of you because of that naivety" Kept on the white flower, not even caring about how the little girl's eyes began to get teary "If you just stopped to look at it for a moment, then you'd come to realize he obviously doesn't care about-"

"Dahlia! Enough!" Said Bjorn in a louder and much more stern tone that made even her turn to look at him. His fist tightly clenched as they rested on the table and his eyes shut tight "Please...Just stop already..."

The white flower looked at the burly man for a moment before turning her head to look at Alice. She was already sobbing while Lily held onto her by the shoulders.

"You know, I always thought psychology was meant to help people" Exclaimed Rick before looking at Dahlia with a clearly angered expression "But all you seem to use it for is to mess with people's heads"

"I never said I studied psychology to help people. I did it because I needed the knowledge in order to put an end to it"

"An end? An end to what?"

"The never-ending facade of humanity..." Replied Dahlia, all eyes on her showing surprise "On a daily basis people do and say things that could easily make others think of them as kind, caring, compasionate, loving or simply morally upright. In truth, this is all just a web of lies fabricated by every person in order to fit in and have a greater advantage in the artificial selection system called society. These facades are simply an eye candy, an hypocresy that people would willingly lie, cheat, steal, sabotage, manipulate and even kill for the sake of. And the higher up or more threatened someone's position is in the system, the more atrocious their actions and the greater their drive to commit them without hesitation. In the end, it's all just an endless circle of lies where people will not only lie to others, but also to themselves by thinking that what they feel is genuine, and in doing so effectively blind themselves from their own lies by thinking they can justify their aborrent actions. I don't want to live a life based on lies, so I chose to study psychology In order to dismantle any facade I come accross"

"Then...You want to get rid of all of people's lies?"

"I'm not so naive as to believe such a thing" Replied the white flower to the young woman "Getting rid of all lies is impossible. I simply dismantle those that are presented to me because I'm only interested to see the truth behind them"

A world of lies and depravity where each and every person is brimming with dishonesty. A world where emotions work as nothing other than a simple mechanism to justify their misdeeds and even fool themselves and those around them into thinking that they are doing nothing wrong for the sake of their own convenience and peace of mind. This was the "truth" of the world that Dahlia saw, the truth that she wished to never ignore and live by no matter what.

"(This child...I figured she saw things in a different way than most of the other kids, but even so, she has quite a vile perspective of the world...)" Thought Frederick while looking at her with a feeling of pity

"The way you're saying this...It feels like you think emotions can't be genuine..." Exclaimed Lily, a mixture of grief and pity in her tone

"What we describe as emotions is simply a response from the brain due to a certain type of stimulus. They are the product of a perspective born from a state of mind, be it either temporary or long-lasting. In other words, something that just isn't possibly "genuine". Just selfish and superficial convictions born for the sake of convenience"

"To be honest, I'm not very smart so I probably don't understand the way you think very well. But just because a person had a selfish or superficial emotion when doing something, does it really mean that something can't become genuine?"

All stares were quick to divert to the young woman with widened eyes. Especially Alex's.

"Sometimes people want to approach others because of a reason that can be seen as selifsh or superficial, but the more things two people share together, the more they want to know and understand about that person. In doing so, the other person might eventually develop a similar interest. The result of this being a bond forming between the two of them" Exclaimed the young woman, a melancholic feeling lingering in her eyes and reflecting on her words, which packed a much less cheerful tone tan usual "Sometimes things go well, others they go horribly wrong. There's even times when you think everything's going well and don't even realize something's wrong until it's too late, but that bond and the time spent forming it will always remain as a genuine part of you no matter what. And even if the thing that allowed it to start was selfish or superficial, it doesn't change the fact that you were able to form something genuine thanks to it. That's what I believe..."

The sportsman focused on Lily's stare without blinking even once. Her eyes reflected a notable conviction in her words, but also a strong melancholy that felt almost paradoxical in comparison to her usually cheerful and carefree attitude. And just the same way as with Max, her words emanated this feeling of being formed from personal experiences rather than morals or ideals learned from others.

"I see..." Exclaimed Dahlia after a moment of silence, her expression seemingly pensive "That seems like wishful thinking more than anything else to me, but you're free to do as you wish"

"Maybe, but I'll keep trying anyway"

"Suit yourself..."

Both women stared at each other before a knocking coming from the door caused everyone's eyes diverted towards it as a voice echoed from the other side.

"Excuse me, sir. May I come in?"

"Yes, come on in" Replied the burly man before the front door opened, revealing Valentino as he walked past the doorframe and into the cabin, the snow coating the fur in his shoulders falling off into the floor with heach step. His expression stern and lowered

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've been looking for you" Said the student from the white school while looking at Lily and the others "You guys are planning to go to the top of the mountain, aren't you? If so, then let me go with you"

Alex's group was surprised by the sudden statement from Valentino.

"Hey, are you sure about that?" Asked Rick while looking at him

"I'm sure"

"You do realize that climbing the mountain will most likely result in your death, right?" Asked Dahlia this time

"I want to go exactly because I know how dangerous the mountain is, especially right now" Exclaimed Valentino while looking at her, then at Alex and the others once again "I've never been to the top before either, but I got pretty high up while going hunting with the others. I can help you find a safer path to the top"

Reaching the top of the mountain without considerable knowledge of the surroundings was a task that could prove to be difficult. Without someone to guide them, the group could easily get lost or run into unsteady terrain. With Valentino's help, reaching their destination without worrying about those hurdles would be far simpler.

"Are you doing this because of that "student fellowship" idea that man likes to spout about? Or is it because of something else?"

"Hey now..."

"Yeah, that's right...Even if it seems like self-righteousness or selfishness to you, I still believe there's some value behind that idea" Replied Valentino while looking at her before lowering his stare "Besides, I don't want to sit still and let more students die anymore"

"Valentino..."

The regret of doing nothing and allow others to die, it was a regret carried by all of the surviving white students. Wheter Dahlia carreid this regret as well or not was unclear, but Valentino carried this burden every single day. If there was a chance for him to avoid repeating that same mistake at least once, then he would gladly take it even if he had to risk his life for it.

"Boi..."

"Mister Bjorn. I know you don't agree with this but I just can't turn my back on them"

The burly man looked at the white student for a moment before digging his hand under his clothes and pulling out a necklace of a black bear claw with a fiber string attached to it. He gently undid the knot pressing on the back of his neck and gentyl passed it over to him.

"Take it to the stable and show it to the caretaker. You should be able to acquire one the large-toothed beasts without much trouble" He said with a stern tone "I cannot offer you a weapon besides your bow, but there should be no trouble with taking one of the beasts as long as you manage to bring it back in one piece"

"Wait a minute. Why are you helping us now?" Asked Rick while looking at the leader of the Nordic pelts with a confused expression

"I cannot force my men to lay down their lives for my own desires, but I cannot force them to not follow their own convictions. Even if they have to risk their lives for them" Replied the burly man while looking at the sailor, then at Valentino once again "Now be on your way. The more you wait, the less daylight you'll have at your disposal"

The white student looked at the bear claw in his hand before clenching on it, then turning around to look at Lily and Rick.

"Alice. You're staying here with everyone else, okay?" Exclaimed Lily while looking at her

"But I want to go too!"

"This isn't a discussion. You're staying here"

The little girl wanted to argue back. She wanted to go and be of help, but she knew well at this point that there was nothing she could do.

"It's okay, Alice. We'll come back with him for sure" Exclaimed Lily while beaming at her in order to bring her some sense of reassurance, though it didn't seem to create the effect she had hoped for.

"Please, look after her"

"Don't worry about her. Just make sure to come back in one piece" Replied the middle-aged man while looking at her.

Lily smiled at him, then turned her head to look at Rick, who nodded in agreement with her. With their goal set, Alex's group and the white student quickly opened the door and left the cabin, the only ones left behind being Frederick and Alice. The latter looking at them as they walked away while the former approached her and placed one hand on her shoulder.

"They'll bring him back. I'm sure of it..."

Alice didn't reply, she simply lowered her eyes. Even if she believed in Alice, Rick and Alex, she still couldn't get over this crushing feeling of being useless.

At the same time, Dahlia looked silently at the group as well. Her stare focused more intently on Lily among the group, who was following right behind Valentino.

"(A steadfast grip on her own convictions, and the ability to inspire others into taking action through them)" She thought while looking at her, then closing

her eyes "(Well...I suppose that much is to be expected from the purple flower of inspiration)"

* * *

*Scene*

Using both the sabertooth tiger lent by Bjorn and Frederick's Pharasaurs, Alex's group and Valentino began their journey to the top of the mountain. Likewise, Max was on his way as well. Both parties heading to the same destination from different angles, both with different purposes, yet both sides shared a strong determination.

The one to reach the top first was Max due to already having a notable headstart over the others. The climbing became steeper and steeper with each moment and the pats became thinner as the snowy plains decreased and in their place sharpened rock formations and cliffs increased, but nonetheless he managed to make his way through and reach his destination along with Wilson.

The base of the blue obelisk was pretty much the same as that of the red and green ones. The only notable difference being the color of the energy running within it. Most of the land around it was surrounded by a few large stone formations, with most of the open spots giving a pretty impressive view of the island from the current height, though most of them were likely to end in a long, painful fall that not even the snow would save you from. There were also many scattered crystal formations along with many rocks filled with golden veins, some of them even being purely composed of this golden coloration, and black, glossy rocks as well. This huge variety of minerals probably meant the top of the mounain and surrounding higer areas were brimming with natural resources. Not that it was of any importance to the young man. Even if he could extract any of the precious minerals, they would still be of little use other than to be sharpeners for his arrows and spears. Too much effort for too little pay-off. What truly mattered to him was the obelisk. Or rather, the console located at the center of the base.

"Keep your eyes open, Wilson" Exclaimed the young man to his Dodo before approaching the console and using his implant to interact with it

Just as it was expected, the interface revealed three new artifacts. The strong, the pack and the devourer. Whatever these names meant he did not know, but one thing was certain now. The only way to activate the obelisks was by using these artifacts. The question that remained within his mind was why were these artifacts so important and what even were they in the first place? Perhaps a clue to understand more about the obelisk or perhaps even the key to activating them?

One thing remained certain, he needed to find the artifacts and bring them to the obelisks. But that was far easier said than done.

"(Where am I even supposed to find these things anyway?)" He thought while lifting his head to look up at the massive structure "(They could be anywhere in the island. If they even are in the island to begin with)"

Assuming they were in the island, it didn't make things any easier either. Even if their odd appearance could make them stand out like a sore thumb in the middle of a jungle it was still basically like looking for a needle in a haysack. And the obelisks didn't exactly lend any helpful hints to find them besides a name and an holographic illustration.

The young man thought about it for a moment longer before the a loud roar snapped him out of his concentration and caused him to quickly turn his head to look back. The increasingly louder sound of heavy footsteps in the snow signaled not only that the large carnivore was nearby, but that he was coming this way.

"(Shit! It's that thing again!?)"

Max quickly went for Wilson and hid behind one of the many rock formations. And certainly enough the yelling dinosaur walked into view shortly afterwards. Its slit eyes searching the surroundings and a low growling coming from its mouth as it slowly creeped up closer to the base of the obelisk.

Sweat began to drip down the young man's back, his heart racing with anxiety as the sound of footsteps got closer and closer. There was no way he could take down a thing of that size with arrows. Closing in and trying to fight with a spear instead was definitely an even worse idea, if not downright suicidal. The only choice was try and sneak past it.

His body was still sore and not fully-healed, so out-running it would prove difficult in this snow.

"Okay...Wilson, stay quiet" He muttered to the Dodo in his arms before slowly leaning to look at the large feathered beast "Alright...Now!"

While still crouched, Max moved as quickly and quietly as he could from one rock to the other while the carnivore was looking the other away. Fortunately, this didn't seem to alert it, but he still made sure to look in advance before moving from one cover to the other. He repeated this process a few times, each one getting further and further away until he suddenly felt a cold shiver running down his spine and noticed the eerie silence. It was when a shadow loomed over him that he quickly raised his head and saw the Carnivore's wide opened jaws lunging down at him. Reflex was quick to kick in and making him jump forward, effectively avoiding the deadly rows of teeth by inches.

The dinosaur was quick to lounge with its jaws a second time and it was in that moment of panic that Max took a hold of his spear and thrust it at the beast. The stone tip digging right into its nostril. It was a lucky shot, but one capable of staggering it for a short moment. Enough for Max to quickly get up and start running away as fast as he could.

His remaining bruises were throbbing quite hard, but he did his best to endure it and kept moving without letting up. But it was when he reached the snow path that the road ahead was blocked by a group of people riding on Parasaurs and a sabertooth tiger. It was Alex's group, though their meeting was a rather unfortunate one.

"Max!? You're alive!" Said Alex with a mixture of surprise and relief before hearing the beast's growl and diverted his eyes to look at it. His expression changing into one of dread "That thing's here too!?"

"What the hell is that!?" Asked Rick while breaking a cold sweat while looking at the feathered dinosaur shake its head left and right.

Once the spear loged within its nostril finally fell out, the carnivore's focus was placed on the young man once more as it charged towards him and the rest of the group without giving them even a second to think.

"Oh, shit! Look out!" Yelled the sailor as everyone quickly moved to the sides in order to avoid the incoming menace.

Fortunately everyone managed to avoid getting mauled, but the beast was not just done yet as it quickly aimed for Max once again. Him being the "easiet" prey to catch due to having the least mobility of the bunch.

"Max!"

The young man was quick to turn tail and run once again but his speed was no match for the feathered dinosaur, which catched up almost right away. Alex dashed with his Parasaur towards him but the sportsman was quickly bewildered as something passed by him at a much faster speed than that of his own mount and took a hold of Max, literally getting him away from the jaws of danger just in the nick of time, and carried him behind a few rock formations. So sudden was this act that even the feathered Dinosaur seemed confused for a short moment while looking around him.

"Wh-What was that just now? Where did Max go?" Asked Lily with widened eyes

The beast looked around it a few more times before turning towards the rest of the group and roaring at them.

"Don't get distracted now!" Yelled Valentino while aiming at it with his bow and arrow "It's coming!"

The white student was quick to begin shooting arrows at it while his mount constantly moved from one place to the other to avoid getting caught within the range of its scream's shockwave. Both Rick and Alex joined the effort as well, but shooting arrows while constantly having to make their mounts move away proved harder than expected. To make matters worse even the combined barrage of arrows that did hit the target had little effect against the feathered dinosaur other than slowing it down or temporarily or divert its attention.

"Damn it! We can't take this thing down just with arrows!" Exclaimed Rick while taking aim

"Lily! Look around for Max! We'll keep it distracted!"

"Okay!"

The trio quickly began to run around the feathered dinosaur in circles while shooting at it in order to make its attention switch between all three of them constantly. At the same time Lily began to search around for the young man while calling out to him.

"Max!? Max, where are you!?"

Max was capable of hearing her just fine even among the roars of the battle taking place, but right now was facing a difficult situation of his own. His earlier savior, who was none other than Lupa, currently had him pinned down against the cold ground. Her large paw-like hands pressing down on his spread out arms, her strength so overwhelming he couldn't move them an inch,

"(Sh-She's strong! Way too strong!)" He thought while breaking a cold sweat and trying to break free before finally looking at her "Let go off me, you damn woman! I told you not to touch me!"

"Max...Lupa not smart, Lupa nor know why friend scared, friend angry..." She said to him, her tone far less energetic than before "If Lupa make bad thing, Lupa sorry..."

Despite the honesty in her tone, the young man didn't even bother listening. He was far too focused on looking around him for a way to break free, and truly enough this way presented itself to him as his dagger. The sharp object laying on the snow along with a few other of his belongings just a short distance away from him, probably slipped off of his bag during the moment she carried him and pinned his body against the floor.

"(Come on! Come on!)" Thought Max with impatience as he reached out for the hilt with his fingers, scrapping and digging at the snow in between "(I don't care what she is! She'll have to let go if I stab her in the neck!)"

"Lupa apologize much, much, much...So please..." Said Lupa, her voice beginning to break with every word

"(Got it!)"

The moment his fingers got a firm grasp on the dagger he was more than ready to stab his way into freedom, but it was also at that very same moment that he was stopped by the feeling of drops of liquid falling on his cheek. When diverting his eyes to look back at Lupa, the sight froze him on the spot and made his eyes widen like plates.

The wolf girl's face was stricken with grief, tears endlessly swelling up on her eyes and dripping down on his face. Even the wolf ears sprouting from the upper sides of her head were making a gesture similar to that one could see in a dog.

"Please not hate Lupa! Lupa not want first friend hate Lupa!" She exclaimed while looking at him with teary eyes. Her almost non-existant wording skill becoming even more apparent now than ever before as she tried to find the right way to say it "Not hate Lupa...Not hate me, please...!"

Max was left speechless by this. The sinister, nightmarish face that he saw back when Lily touched him, that he saw whenever any woman touched him, was nowhere to be seen. All he could see right now was Lupa and Lupa alone. A girl that was crying her eyes out and apologizing for something that was never even her fault to begin with.

Even if just for a short moment, all the anger, all the hatred and all the aggression raging within him subsided the moment he looked at her sorrowful eyes. Almost as if her very tears had washed it all away and brought in its place a sense of calm back to him, so much to the point that the grip on his dagger loosened and caused the sharp weapon to slip off of his fingers and back on the snow. His focus on this was so strong he wasn't even able to notice Lily just a short distance away, her bewildered gaze focused on him and Lupa.

This trance would have most likely lasted for far longer if it weren't for Wilson's shrieks snapping Max out of it just in time for him to regain a grip of his surroundings and see the feathered carnivore's head and neck looming over them.

"(Shit!)" He thought while breaking a cold sweat before quickly taking a hold of Lupa's forearms and pushing her sideways, causing the two of them to roll away from the jaws of death

"Max!"

"Auh!?"

After they stopped rolling, he hastened to pick up his dagger once more and this time swung it at the beast instead. It didn't have much of an effect when it came to intimidation or damage, but it certainly was capable of making the carnivore wary of a second stab to the nostril. Instead of lunging at him carelessly a second time instead it chose to let out a powerful roar before trying to go for a second bite. What stopped him this time wasn't a dagger, though. It was Lupa who, after hastily moving Max out of the way, stopped the beast's attempt by jumping on top of the feathered dinosaur's head.

"Big monster try hurt Lupa family! Now try hurt friend!" Yelled the wolf girl as she punched her adversary in the eyes over and over again " Lupa hate big monster!" Lupa hate you! Hate you! Hate you! Hate you! ! !"

"Is that...A person!?" Asked Rick with bewilderment

"No...I think It's the thing that we saw yesterday!" Replied Alex after recognizing her way of fighting

"Wait. So _that's_ the werelwolf!?"

"Whoever that is, she's helping!" Exclaimed Valentino while shooting another arrow "Let's try doing the same!"

Both Rick and Alex decided to agree with the white student and focused on keeping up the barrage of arrows. All the while Lily and Max looked at Lupa make the feathered dinosaur move from left to right in a frenzy to try and shake her off. In the middle of this struggle the young man looked at his surroundings and focused on the open views, particularily on the one that led to the steepest of cliffs among the bunch.

"Hey! Over there!" Yelled Max at the wolfgirl while pointing towards the cliff "Make it go over there!"

Lupa looked at the young man, then at the direcction he was pointing at before leaning her bodyweight towards it. This caused the feathered dinosaur's head to go in that same direcction, making it walk towards it. Because of the constant strikes against its eyes, the beast was unable to see very well and could only keep moving forward towards the edge.

She jumped right as she saw the incoming fall and landed not too far from it. And even without her assaulting its eyes, the feathered dinosaur was not able to stop itself in time and ended up leaping off into the void. Its powerful roar now growing further and further before smacking into the spiky rock formations and eventually plowing into the snow. The once ferocious creature now laying still over the cold ground as the whole group came closer to take a look at it.

"Is it dead...?" Asked Lily

"I'm not sure..." Replied Valentino "I seriously doubt it could survive a fall this long, though"

"One way or the other, I'd rather be done and get out of here before anything else feels like trying to kill us" Said Rick before his eyes diverted towards Lupa "But more importantly..."

Both Alex and Valentino turned their heads to look at her as well.

"Yeah...This girl..."

The trio looked at her carefully as she looked back at them with confusion.

"She's the werewolf..."

"Yeah...I think so..."

"But more importantly..."

All three of their stares initially focused on her ears, the tail and her large humanoid paws and feet. But soon enough their attention diverted towards her more "human-like" attributes, particularily the ones that were fully visible.

"(Why is she naked!?)" Wondered all three of them while quickly looking away and breaking a cold sweat

"Thank you for helping us!" Said Lily while approaching Lupa and beaming at her

"(She's just approaching her so casually!?)" Thought the three of them once more with shock

Putting the fact she let everything out for the world to see aside, the fact she was basically some sort of human-wolf hybrid made them wonder how to even approach her or if they could even approach her to begin with. But as always, Lily was quick to take action without any need to even think about it. She most likely rationalized that, since she helped kill the beast that was attacking them, she had to be friendly.

"Thank...you...helping" Repeated the wolf girl with a curious expression

"My name is Lily. What's your name?"

"name...your name...Lily" She repeated once more before recalling her conversation with Max and beaming "Ah! Me name! Me Lupa!"

"That's a really cute name!"

"Cute...Cute sounds nice! Lupa like cute!"

"So you're really a werewolf?" Asked Lily with curiosity and a somewhat notable expectation in her tone

"We-re-wolf? Woman Lily say weird word..." Said Lupa while tilting her head to the side, than suddenly perking up "Ah! Lily much like Max friend! Lily nice too!"

"Thank you!" Replied the young woman with a cheerful smile

"(What kind of conversation is this...?)" Wondered the trio while looking at them and sweat dropping

"Lily, Lupa make Lily friend?"

"Yes, I'd love to!"

"Yay! Lupa make friend again!" Said the wolfgirl even more cheerfully than before while getting closer to Lily and wrapping her in a tight hug "Lupa happy!"

The young woman was surprised at first but it didn't take long for her to return the hug as well.

"(They seem to be getting along...)" Thought the three men once more while looking at both women hug each other

During this friendly hug Lily caught eye of Lupa's wolf tail swinging from left to right in a hurry as it signaled joy. The same motions notable as well in her ears, this quickly awakening the urge within her to touch them.

"Hey, Lupa..."

"Au?"

"Can I pet you...?"

"She...She actually asked to pet her...?" Asked Valentino while sweat dropping

"Lupa not know that word, but okay!"

"And she agreed so easily too..."

The young woman released one of her hands and softly began to caress the top of of her head, the reaction was almost inmediate. Lupa's tail and ears quickly stood upwards before they began to sway and move in the same way as before but with much more intensity.

"Auhhhh" She howled with a pleased tone and fulfilled expression "This pet? Pet feels good...Lupa like pet..."

Both students and the sailor looked at this odd scene play out and sweat dropped.

"We-well...I guess this shows we don't no need to be worried about her being dangerous then?" Said Valentino while looking at the other two with a weak smile

"I guess so..." Replied Rick while sweat dropping

When hearing the warnings from Bjorn the sailor imagined the werewolf to be just as much of a monster as the feathered dinosaur, but lupa proved to be completely different from what he imagined. Her impressive agility, feral way of fighting and animal features aside, Lupa seemed hardly different from any normal human girl. Maybe a little quirky and not very good at speaking, but not like it was really a bad thing.

"Anyway, let's check out the obelisk and get out of her already. This place is freezing"

"Yeah..." Replied Alex this time while turning his head to look at Max, who was mostly focused on Lily and Lupa before diverting his gaze to him.

The two of them looked at each other for a short moment before the young man simply closed his eyes and turned his head to look at Wilson. It didn't seem like they would see eye to eye for the time being. But Alex was already aware of it, he felt like he had no right to complain about it either way.

Once they were done checking out the needed artifacts and Lily made sketches of them, everyone began to make their way back down the mountain. Lupa and Lily kept talking all the way down, most of it being the things she already spoke with Max about. There were a few times the young man tought about breaking off from this little "convoy" and be on his own way, but Wilson would not shut up unless he went back with them to the Nothern pelt's village. In the end he was forced to go along not by force, but by dodoic persuasion.

The group was received by the guards patrolling the front entrance. Lupa's presence didn't make them as aggressive as it baffled them. Not like it really surprised the group. These reactions were quick to spread to Bjorn and Frederick, who hurried to the gate to welcome them back along with Alice and Dahlia. The latter of the bunch being brought more out of curiosity due to the guard's report rather than a desire to meet them.

"No way...That's the werewolf?" Asked the middle-aged man with widened eyes while breaking a cold sweat

"The legends I heard of in my village spoke of werewolves as beasts of relentless ferocity, but never have I heard of a breed of werewolf such as this one..." Added the burly man, who showed a similar reaction

"I had imagined this island hid many outlandish creatures, but never one such as this" Added Dahlia. Even she was uncapable of hiding her surprise at this discovery "A human-wolf hybrid, a werewolf. While a believer of cryptozoolog would probably think the word would still fit as a proper term to describe her, I find it difficult to explain how such a phenomenom could even be possible"

While both men were still trying to process what they were seeing, Alice paid no mind to it and hurried to Lily's side.

"Lily!" She exclaimed while wrapping her arms around the young woman's waist, who placed a hand over her head and greeted her with a smile

"I'm back, Alice"

"Where's big brother?"

"He's over there"

Lily pointed to her left side at Max's direcction and Alice was quick to turn her head. The sight of her older brother made her glad to know he was alive, though he didn't turn his head to look at her even once. One would think she was used to him giving her the cold shoulder after so many years, but it still made her feel dejected. All she could do was bury her face against Lily's waist right now, or at least until her eye caught sight of Lupa leaning forward to look at her with curiosity.

The young woman was able to notice both of them stare at each other and was quick to do the introductions.

"Lupa, this is Alice. She's Max's little sister" She said before looking again at the little girl "Alice, this person is Lupa. She saved Max's life yesterday"

"Max...li-ttle sis-ter...Friend sister?" Pondered the wolfgirl before crouching in front of her and making a curious face "Then...small Alice, Max family?"

"Yes, that's right"

"Erm...Thank you for helping big brother!" Said Alice with notable unease in her tone. And understandably so.

"Small Alice, Max family...Then, Alice make friend too!?"

"Eh?"

"She wants to know if you want to be friends with her"

"Oh..." She said while looking at Lily, then at the wolf girl again with a smile "Yes, I'd like to be friends with you too!"

"Lupa make new friend again! Lupa happy!"

Just like she did with the young woman, Lupa wrapped Alice in a hug, though the difference in size made it more of an embrace than a mutual hug.

"New small friend much soft, much warm..." She said while rubbing her cheek against Alice's with a pleased tone "Lupa like new small friend!"

"She seems like...A very affectionate person..." Said Frederick while looking at her and sweat dropping

"Indeed..." Added Bjorn before clearing his throat with a cough, which also served to catch the attention of the group "But that matter aside, I see you managed to bring back your companion. I rejoice at your success"

"Thank you"

"If I might ask, could I hear more of these events that transpired?"

After agreeing to tell Bjorn what happened, everyone went back with him through the gates. Of course, a few pieces of clothing were given to Lupa so she could cover herself before-hand, as having her walk around the tribe's base naked would most definitely cause an even bigger uproar. She initially refused to wear them, as they felt "squeezy" according to her own words, but finally agreed to do so after Lily basically tore the clothes into rags and wrapped them around her chest and waist, effectively turning them into a strapless bra and a piece of cloth wrapped around her hips that flowed down between her legs. Lupa liked them that way much more since they allowed far more free movement and the young woman calling them a "friendship gift" helped out a lot as well. Neither of these covered much more than if she were naked but at the very least covered the parts that were probably better of not in plain view for decency's sake, not to mention it had an oddly feral style that suited her well.

With that issue out of the way everyone made their way into the village and Bjorn's cabin. Everyone except Max who remained outside of it but still within view of Lily, who leaned on the doorframe to make sure he wouldn't run off while everyone was distracted. At the same time, Valentino told his tribe leader and Dahlia about the fight with the feathered dinosaur, the artifacts and the blue obelisk.

"The beast has been slain!? Are you certain of it!?" Asked Bjorn to Valentino with shock while putting both hands on the table

"Ye-yeah...We couldn't check from up close, but it didn't seem like it survived the fall"

"This is wonderful news! With that fiend gone, we can once again hunt without worrying about scant supplies!" He exclaimed while getting up and wrapping his large arms around both Alex and Rick at the same time "You bois have done us a great favor today! Our tribe is indebted to you!"

"N-No! It was nothing, really..." Said Alex while sweat dropping with a weak smile

"We get it, you're thankful! Just let go of us already!" Added Rick

"You believe that's overbearing...? If so, you seem to be ignoring my current situation" Interrupted Dhalia with a tone that signaled faint irritation.

Just the same way Bjorn locked the sportsman and the sailor in a tight hug of gratitude, Lupa was embracing Dahlia while rubbing her cheeks against each other just like she did with Alice earlier ever since they walked into the cabin.

Apparently. the wolf girl liked people who said words she found weird or complicated due to Max and Lily, and she learned that she also liked to hug people with small, petite bodies thanks to Alice. So it didn't take long for her to take a strong liking to Dahlia, who not only constantly used words she wouldn't understand in the least, but also had a petite and huggable build that felt like a middle-ground between Alice and Lily's.

And to make matters worse, she seemed to have taken a liking to calling her in a similar manner to Bjorn.

"Little Dala warm, soft! Lupa like Little Dala!"

"Would you please just stop this already? I'd like to regain my personal space" Replied the white flower "Also. My name is Dahlia, not Dala"

"Dala!"

"Dahlia! Dah-li-a!"

"...Dala!"

"This person is not a very smart one..."

"Yes, I have decided! This deserves a celebration! A feast!" Exclaimed Bjorn with excitement before looking at Valentino "Valentino boi! Go tell everyone we're having double rations to celebrate tonight! And tell them to not forget the good ol' mead we've got stored too!"

"Ye-Yes sir!" Replied the white student before leaving the cabin in a hurry

"Friends! I do hope you can all join us tonight as well!"

"(Somehow, I got a bad feeling about this)" Thought Frederick as his friend specifically looked at him

"Tonight, we're drinking like there's no tomorrow!"

"(I should have known...)" He thought while sweat dropping "(I'll have to ask that Valentino boy if I can borrow a bucket later...)"

Bjorn's desire to hold a celebration was understandable. In fact, Frederick found the idea of a feast to be something to look forward to. With that said, he could also already anticipate other things as well, and some of them not as good.

"Now then...Be on your way, Bois and gurls! There are things I wish to speak of with your werewolf friend before night arrives!" He said to both Rick and Alex while letting go of them

Those within Alex's group exchanged stares among each other before deciding to accept his request and leave the cabin for the time being. Whatever he wished to converse with Lupa, none of them knew. But at least it didn't seem like he would do something with the intention of harming her for the time being. They could be certain of at least that much.

The rest of the day went by without any notable problems and eventually the hour to celebrate arrived. A feast was what Bjorn chose to call it in order to create a more lively mood, but it was basically everyone just getting twice the amount of food than usual. Even so, the concept of a larger meal was something everyone in the tribe appreciated. Not to mention the news of the beast that swarmed their hunting grounds being dealt with already put everyone in quite a good mood as well.

The following two or three hours were filled with constant drinking, cheering and singing. Bjorn being the one to lead the chorus of both male and female voices alike and also the one to chug down the most mead. Despite his rough looks, he was surprisingly good at singing and even knew quite the repertoire of songs. The one he chanted the most times, and probably his favorite one judging by how enthusiastic he was when singing it, was a song about a dream of silk and fair furs.

Frederick seemed to already have accepted the fact he'd be suffering a killer hangover tomorrow and decided to make the night be worth the pain, even Valentino and Rick were quickly motivated to join the others too. Alex was sharing a few cups with them as well, but part of his mind happened to drift every now and then into thinking about Max.

He was nowhere to be seen within the dinning hall, which wasn't really unexpected considering how he usually seemed to grow extremely uneasy around large amounts of people. This desire for solitude seemed to be something Dahlia desired as well since she was nowhere to be seen either. Probably quietly reading in Bjorn's cabin, away from all the noise. As for Lily, she left earlier with Alice after both ate their fill. She didn't seem to dislike the idea of a celebration, but was probably too tired to stay up all night long. Alex couldn't really blame her on that, after everything that happened today he felt like he could drop like a bag of bricks and sleep for a week at any moment. Lupa was also missing, though they were told by Bjorn earlier that she went back to the mountains to spend the night with her family and share with them the meat that the burly man gave her as a gift of gratitude. He did also mention that she would definitely be back tomorrow in order to see them off as well.

One way or the other Max didn't seem very inclined to make a run for it again so it was probably meaningless to worry at this point. Instead he decided to just pour a few more cups of mead and do what he learned from his seniors. Drink the worries away, enjoy the night and just leave feeling like shit to the following morning instead.

As the hours went by more and more people began to drop from the alcohol or just felt too exhausted to keep going and decided to turn in for the night. By the time around half the people were either heading off to the barracks or out of commission Alex decided he had enough fun for tonight and went back to the guest room while carrying Rick, who was far too intoxicated to even walk properly. Frederick still seemed to be going strong and he wasn't sure where Valentino was, so he decided to leave them to their own devices.

"I...I fucking hate this island...I fucking hate it...so much..." Said the sailor while walking alongside the sportsman, who helped him avoid sliping down and falling

"Yeah...I hate it too..."

Rick kept muttering how much he hated the island all the way to the barracks, where he finally stopped after falling asleep. Just as he imagined Lily and Alice were already asleep, so he tried not to make a ruckus and instead just dropped into bed, his eyelids feeling as heavy as anvils and his consciousness fading away the moment his eyes closed.

The following morning was just as expected. Pretty much everyone in the village was afflicted with varying levels of hangover, most of the veteran tribe members and some students seemed to be holding up pretty well while others looked like they could spill out everything they ate yesterday at any moment. Bjorn, on the other hand, looked as fresh as a lettuce.

Among the group there were those as well who were stricken by the feeling of hangover, the most severe one being Frederick who could hardly get up from the bed, or stop puking as for that matter. Rick also seemed to be hit pretty badly, but at least he was more responsive and able to move around. Alex was probably the least affected one, though this could be attributed mostly to being able to restrain himself a little better than the others when it came to chugging down drinks and just generally having a higer alcohol tolerance. It didn't change the fact his head felt like someone just let out a firecracker within it though.

It was only after a few hours of rest that the trio finally felt like they could get ready for their journey back to the Redwoods. Or at least felt like they could move easily enough for it.

"Erm...Is everyone okay?" Asked Alice while looking at the trio and sweat dropping

"Urgh...I hate myself..." Said Rick with a rather sour expression on his face

"I'll never drink this much again...Never...ev-bleurgh!" Added the middle-aged man with a sickened expression before suddenly placing one hand over his mouth "...ever...again..."

"(I'm not sure if I should be happy or concerned that this type of view feels nostalgic to me already...)" Thought Alex while looking at the two men and sweat dropping. Their reactions to the hangover bringing back memories of his highschool years

"Maybe we should wait a little longer before leaving?" Asked Lily out of concern for those around her

"That won't do...If we don't go now we won't-eurgh-have enough time...to store reach the redwoods and store the trade resources before nightime..." Replied Frederick, his face still sickly but seemingly starting to hold up.

The sportsman and the young woman exchanged stares before focusing once more on putting the saddles on the mounts and making sure the supplies would hold up steadily to the Stego during the trip. All of this while Max watched them from a moderate distance with Wilson, the Dodo alternating between looking at them and the young man before finally chirping at him.

""Why didn't you drink too?", you ask. That's a dumb question Wilson" He replied while diverting his eyes to look at the bird "I'm not into drinking myself stupid...I'm not really good with drinks either..."

After preparations were over the whole group headed to the front gate to leave. To their surprise not only Bjorn, Valentino and Dahlia were there to see them off, but also Lupa and her direwolf family.

"Lily friend!" She exclaimed happily before heading towards the young woman and hugging her "Lupa back!"

"Hello there, Lupa!"

"What's with those direwolves?" Asked Alex while looking at the pack sitting around

"That Lupa family!"

"(So her family really is a pack of wolves...)" Thought Rick while sweat dropping

"Lupa take family here! Here new home!"

"New home?"

"Aye!" Interrupted Bjorn cheerfully while approaching them "Yesterday I offered our wolf friend and her family a place in our tribe, and she happily agreed!"

"New home safe! Family safe!"

"Aye, I have given you my word on it! I intend on keeping it!"

"And what about the rest of your tribe? Are they okay with it?" Asked Alex this time

"Indeed, some felt uneasy about her upon her arrival. But after hearing the news of yesterday's battle, everyone has grown more than willing to welcome her!"

"That's good to know"

During the conversation Alice happened to notice a smaller wolf squeezing out among the bunch and quickly running past them and straight towards Max, leaning up both front legs against his knees while wagging his tail cheerfully.

"Erm...That wolf seems to really like big brother..."

"Ah! That little one!" Said Lupa after noticing the same scene as the little girl "Friend help little one mom, little one like friend much!"

"(Little one's mom?)"

At the same time as Lily thought about those words Max looked at the pup stare back at him expectantly while barking over and over again. This barking ended up being so annoying that the young man decided to give in and crouch to pet the canine, as it was most likely what he wanted and the only thing that would make it shut up.

"There, you happy now?"

Everyone looked with surprise at the scene before Lupa let go of Lily and headed off towards Max, she was probably thinking about wrapping him in a hug just like she did with Lily but the reaction from yesterday was still fresh in her mind. She knew well enough that doing so caused max to snap in a bad way, and so she decided to instead pick up the young wolf in her arms and look at him.

"Friend, little one want play"

"I'm sorry, Lupa. We can't stay and play" Said the young woman while walking closer to her with a slightly apologetic tone and expression "We have to get going"

"Going? Friends, leave?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"You see, gurl. These bois and gurls are on a journey of their own, and as such they cannot stay in one place for too long" Explained Bjorn to her while placing one hand on her shoulder

"Hm...Lupa not understand, but friend return?" She asked while looking at Max this time, her eyebrows arched in a way that made it notable she was sad about it

"Someday..."

"Then, friend play when return!?"

"I told you already, I don't make friends with..." Replied the young man before suddenly noticing Lupa's new expression

She had her eyes wide open and already tearing up again. Even the wolf in her arms seemed sad as well. This was, without a doubt, a case of double puppy eyes. One of them being literal puppy eyes.

"(This woman...She's a pain in the ass...)" He thought while sweat dropping

At the same time as he looked at that face of hers Wilson kept pecking him in the side of the shin over and over again. He could already tell what the Dodo wanted, and he would definitely not stop until his demands were granted. Max tried to pay no heed to it, but even after minutes the pecking did not stop. And though the bird's beak had no power whatsoever behind it, the young man's patience was already broken.

"Stop pecking me in the shin, you fatass! I get it already, okay!? I get it!" He snarled with an irritated tone and expression before lookin at Lupa again and pointing at her "And you, listen well! I'll stay as your friend for now, but I can't be friends with someone who barely knows how to speak!"

"Speak?"

"That's right! If you want me to be your friend when I return, then you better learn how to speak like a person!"

"When friend return, Lupa know speak. Then friend stay friend?" Repeated Lupa to herself while trying to understand this demand of his

"Yes!"

"Then, Lupa learn! Lupa learn much, learn much speak!"

With that promise made the young man walked past the wolf girl and the rest of the group and got up on his mount.

"Well, then! I believe it is time we said our goodbyes!" Said Bjorn while turning his head to look at Alex's group "I'll make a blot in the hopes that the gods will grant you their favor!"

"I'm not sure what that is, but thanks!" Said Lily cheerfully

"Should we tell her "blot" literally means "sacrifice an animal to the gods"?" Muttered Valentino to Alex

"I think it's best if we don't..."

"Well, we'll end up eating it later so I guess it's okay either way" Said the white student before facing the sportsman and extending one hand "Anyway, It was nice having you guys stick around. You really helped us out"

Alex looked at Valentino's hand for a moment before smiling at him, taking a hold of it and giving him a firm handshake.

"Have a safe journey out there, and please tell the blues at that other camp of you that the we're still holding up over here"

"Don't worry, I will"

After their handshake was done, Alex got up on his mount along with the rest of the group and departed back towards the Redwoods. All the while those at the front gate watched them leave.

"Little Dala!" Said Lupa while hugging the white flower

"I thought I told you not to invade my personal space..."

"Lupa learn speak! Little Dala know speak!"

"Oh? I believe you have made a new friend, little Dahlia"

"Is _this_ what you call friendship...?"

"In any case! She seems eager to learn, so why not help her out!?" Said Bjorn while looking at her with a smile "It would certainly help to have the smartest person in our tribe to be her teacher, now wouldn't it!?"

"I reject...I'd rather spend my time reading, not to mention I'm not qualified to be a teacher"

"Learn, learn! Little Dala, teacher!"

"You are only hearing what you want to hear, aren't you...?"

While being embraced by her new wolf friend, the white flower had the dreadful feeling she would be having far less time for leisure reading from now on.


	11. Trading capital: The Golden Hesperonis

"Well, what would'ya know!" Said Jerico with a notable interest and excitement in his expresion "So what happened after that big chicken dino came at you!?"

"It suddenly started yelling reaaally loud at us! So we used the duckusauruses and Valentino's longertooth-"

"Sabertooth" Interrupted Rick, though his voice went by unheard. Or probably ignored

"-to run all over the place and avoid getting the dinos scared by the screams! And then everyone began fighting really hard against it together, even the girl that was actually not a girl but a werewolf!"

"She blinded the dinosaur by punching it in the eyes and lured it to a cliff. Gravity did the rest afterwards" Added the sailor, putting a rather quick end to the young woman's narrative.

"Hey, Rick! I was the one telling the story!" Complained Lily to Rick, who seemed uninterested at this point "And I was even going to make it sound really amazing too!"

"But a werewolf, huh?" Said Harold with his arms crossed and slight surprise in his expression "I knew this island was full of weird stuf, but I never thought there were werewolves in it too"

"So you guys didn't know anything about it?"

"We've been in this island for a long time but that doesn't mean we know everything about it either, friend" Added Norman while walking from the kitchen with a small bowl of biscuits.

"Most of the time we've been here on the Redwoods working as traders. We know about the woods and some of the surrounding areas thanks to Jerico and our own traveling before settling down here, but a lot of places in the isalnd are still a mistery to us" Added the man with mutton chops with one elbow on the table and his head resting on it "At most we know rumors that spread between traders but you never truly know how to tell fact from false appart in a place as crazy as this one"

"I see..."

"Either way, it sounds like you mates had one crazy as roadtrip" Said Jerico while sitting on a more relaxed position with one arm over the back of the chair

"You can say that again" Replied the sailor while sweat dropping with his eyes closed before his and everyone else's attention was diverted to the sound of the front door opening

"Hey, we're back!"

Moments after his voice echoed all the way to the dinning room Alex walked into the room along with Eddy and Jordan.

"Welcome back, Alex!"

"Oh, my. Such an earnest greeting from a young maiden. Not carrying love, but simple and earnest joy at the sight of a fellow comrade in arms being safe and sound" Exclaimed jordan while creating an in-depth analisis "Nonetheless, that sort of actions could easily give some men who don't know any better the idea that your kindness might be more than it seems, so I'll have to rate it eight out of ten"

"Did you hear that, Alice!? I got an eight!"

"Ye-yeah..." Replied the little girl while looking at the excited young woman and sweat dropping with a weak smile "(I'm...not really sure if that's a good thing or not, though...)"

"Did you guys have a hard time with the fur and hide?"

"Not as much of a hard time as when I have to listen to your bitching, that's for damn sure" Replied Eddy with his arms crossed.

A vein popped on Ricks forehead, but he simply tried to brush it off with a smirk while turning his head away from him.

"Well I sure was having a good time until I saw that neanderthal face of yours"

"Wanna go at it, you whinny seamen!?"

"Bring it on, caveman!"

The two men were already clashing foreheads with irritated expression and those around simply watched as the two men were on the verge of starting a fist fight.

"Boy, you mates really are good friends ain't ya?" Said Jerico with a smile.

"Like hell we are!" Snarled both at the same time while looking at him with angry expressions.

"See? You even got perfect synch!"

Both Eddy and Rick looked at Jerico for a moment before stepping away from each other and deciding it would be a waste of time to fight at this point.

"Anyway, where's Frederick?"

"I'm afraid poor Frederick was still feeling rather sickly so we left him rest back at the treehouse" Said the soft-spoken man with his eyes closed and an expression of mild disbelief while placing one hand on his cheeck and using the other to support his elbow "Sometimes I wish he could just learn to restrain that lush side of him a little better. Alas, Bjorn's Ale and cheery attitude are such powerful temptations for him..."

"So Frederick is drunkard?"

"Oh no. Not at all...He simply has the bad tendency of never saying no to cheerful people such as Bjorn and usually ends up getting carried away in the spur of the moment" Explained Jordan with a smile "I guess you could say he's something of an involuntary drinker in this type of situations"

"(In other words, he _is_ a drunkard...)" Thought the sailor while sweat dropping.

Shortly after their return from the frigid lands of the snow biome and arrival to the redwoods Alex's group went to visit Jerico's treehouse. Most of the group stayed with Jerico and the others while Alex helped Frederick take the tames back to his own treehouse. But now that he was back and the whole group was together it was time to start focusing once more on planning for the upcoming days.

"So, what are you mates plannin' to do now?" Asked Jerico while looking at Alex this time "You already got to check out the blue obelisk and got to meet with that Dahlia mate of yours, right?"

"Yeah...We did..."

The sportsman's eyes lowered sightly and those of his group grew suddenly silent. The gloomy mood was more than enough to let Jerico and the others know that things didn't go quite as well as they had hoped for.

"Guess it was no picnic for you mates out there, huh?" He said, only receiving silence as a response "Well, it'd be rude dig my sniffer too deep into other people's bussineses so I won't"

"We're not really sure where to go from here" Replied the sportsman "For starters I'd like to go back to the Weathertop and tell Angela and the other students what we found out so far, but I'm not too sure if this would be really that useful as it is"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Asked Norman with a confused expression

"Each of the three obelisks has a sepparate list of "artifacts" that it displays when someone uses this thing on our forearms to inteact with it. That Dahlia girl theorized that by bringing the artifacts to their respective obelisks something might happen" Explained Rick to Jerico and the others "Problem is, we have no idea what that "something" might be"

"If we're lucky maybe we can use those obelisks to go home, but in the worst case we only end up screwing ourselves up even further and might even get killed as well" Added Alex.

"And where are these artifacts?" Asked Eddy with his arms crossed.

"That's problem number two. We were given a name and an image of what they look like, but absolutely no clue as to where we can find them" Answered the sailor this time.

"So in other words. you kids are being sent on a treasure hunt, and one that most likely one that takes place on the entirety of the island as well, to find something with little to no clues" Said Jordan with a pensive expression "Oh my...Such a troublesome errand you boys have chosen to take..."

The soft-spoken man's words were nothing short of true, if not an understatement. With no clue other than a name and a picture, the group would need to search the entire island in search of the mysterious artifacts in what could easily be a monumental or even downright impossible task.

"Wait...What about the big tribes in the island?" Said Alex as the idea suddenly popped into his mind "Maybe we could ask them for help. I mean, if we tell them the obelisks could be a way to get back home then-"

"I would give that a second round of thought if I were you, my friend" Interrupted Norman while looking at him

"What?"

"It seems you still don't fully understand the situation of the island very well, sweetie" Added Jordan before pointing at him with a lax hand "Considering what you just said I am to assume Frederick told you about the factions in the island, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Then for starters you should keep in mind that not everyone is as optimistic as you when it comes to leaving this place. Many people have already given up on the idea of leaving the island and just as many have grown too used to living in it to even consider said idea anymore. And that is without even mentioning that every person in this place is either from a different land or even a different time. Groups like yours are usually a rare ocurrence around here" He explained to the sportsman, whose eyes remained focused on him "In regards to the tribes, you might be able to convince the smaller ones to support you if you can prove yourself to them and have a solid plan to offer, but the larger ones will require a more political approach as most of them care only about self-preservation or already have an agenda of their own"

"Take a look at the new legion, for example." Added Eddy while looking at him with his arms crossed "Those bloodthirsty bastards only care about wiping out all the other tribes and dominating the island through force. You're more likely to get killed, enslaved or both than ever manage to strike a deal with them"

"They even went as far as killing any diplomat sent to negotiate with them and hang the body on the trees near the front door just to get the point across...Quite the awful as sight, that is" Added Jerico this time, his expression and tone notably less energetic than before and showing a more prominent seriousness.

"What the hell...That's just messed up..."

A ruthless tribe of warmongers and slavers who only cared about either exterminating or enslaving all other tribes in order to rule over the island like a dictatorship. Willing to slaughter even those who attempted a more peaceful approach and hang them like a twisted decoration or trophy on a tree just to demonstrate that they would accept no solution other than their tribe being the one to completely dominate the entire island through overpowering brutality. That was the essence of the new legion.

There was no doubt after hearing that bit of information that staying as far away from the new legion as possible would be a rule rather than an option. With that in mind, there were still the other tribes to take into account.

The smaller tribes would be the best place to start looking for support. But a great deal of effort would be needed to convince them of taking such a risk. And even if they gained their trust, a solid plan to offer to them would still be required. This was something that Alex nor his group had at the moment. The only thing on their minds right now was getting the artifacts, taking them to the obelisks and see what would happen. While simple enough of an idea to understand, it had too many blank spots and lacking details to sound like a plan that could work, let alone bring anything good.

"Why don't we just try getting one first, then?" Asked Lily out of the blue, making all eyes divert to her

"What do you mean?"

"I mean getting one of those weird artifacts" Repeated the young woman with a confident smile "My teacher always said a picture is worth more than a thousand words, so maybe If we show one of them to the tribes, then it'll be easier to convince them!"

"Lily, the whole point of having this chat about asking for help from the tribes in the first place is because we have no idea where the artifacts are or how to even get them by ourselves to begin with" Replied the sailor while looking at her

"Oh..."

"Still, that isn't such a bad idea" Said Jordan with one hand supporting his other elbow and an interested expression "Having one of the artifacts to serve as proof would definitely be the best way to gain the backing of the tribes. Or at least of a good amount of them"

"Good plan or not, how are we supposed to use an artifact as proof when we can't even get one to begin with?" Asked Rick "It's not like we can just go around knocking on people's doors and ask for directions"

To use the obelisks and possibly find a way home the artifacts were needed, but to make the chances of finding the artifacts more likely Alex and the others would need the help of the island's tribes, but to make getting the help of the tribes possible they would need to show an artifact to make their request more likely to be accepted. It was a spiraling dilemma that constantly ended taking them back to square one but with no solution. That is, until a solution was offered by none other than Jerico himself.

"Actually, there _is_ place where you mates can ask around" Said the cowboy-ish man while pointing at a piece of paper hanging on the wall by a nail. A depiction of a long-necked bird standing over a balance with one golden egg on each of the scales depicted on it "The golden Hesperonis"

"The golden Hesperonis?"

"Now that you mention it, Frederick told us about that place on the way to the snow biome" Said Alex while trying to recall the words of the middle-aged man "I think he said something about it having a lot of trading with mid-sized tribes"

"That's only a fraction of the truth, sweetheart" Said Jordan while his eyes diverted to the paper on the wall "The Golden Hesperonis does more than just have a constant trading with the tribes, they pretty much created and dominate the current system. The most skilled craftsmen on the island, the most witty of merchants, all types of rare resources and materials and a never-ending amount of hired muscle serving as either their private army or private security for anyone willing to put in the right amount of coin. You can find pretty much all of it and more within the walls of the Golden Hesperonis's comercial capital"

"It's not all roses, though" Added Eddy "As pretty or promising as that place might look like from the outside, the city is a shithole full of swindlers and cut-throats who will readily sell their own mother for a few coins. If you're not careful in there you could end up in the gutter...or worse..."

The stern and somewhat sombre look on Eddy's face at the end of his sentence made a cold sweat run down Alex's back. After all the atrocities he saw and heard of taking place in the island, he could only imagine the meaning behind those words. And so far not one thing that crossed his mind was a good one.

It actually made him wonder, would going there be really such a good idea after all?

"Yup. A bloody wild place to go alone, that one" Said Jerico before getting up from his seat "Heaps of bogans, hoons, ferals and all sorts of nasty wankers, but a sweet as place to get some info if you know where to look"

"How are we supposed to even get there anyway"

"No worries, mates. I'll help you out"

Everyone's eyes diverted towards the cowboy-ish man as he placed his hat on the table.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Can't say it's gonna be a piece of piss, but I know my way around the place" He replied while looking at the sportsman with a confident smirk "Besides, I've been thinking of going there for a while now to get some extra stuff for me good ol clobber Torito. Little guy's been taking the whole wing thing like a champ and I wanna get him something to cheer him up. Might as well lend you mates a hand while I'm at it too...So, what'cha say?"

Just the same way they diverted towards Jerico at one moment, everyone's eyes switched to looking at Alex instead this time. He himself feeling an odd pressure from how all eyes were now focused on him. Nonetheless, he tried his best to stay focused on the conversation at hand.

"If you can do it, then yeah. I'd like to have your help for this"

"Rippers!" Cheered the cowboy-ish man with a smile

"Wait...But what about Angela then?" Asked Lily this time with a concerned expression "We promised to tell her when we found something, didn't we?"

"Even if you say that, it's not like we have much to share at the moment"

"I wouldn't be so quick to make assumptions if I were you" Said Jordan after hearing Rick's reply "If that friend of yours is worth trusting then it wouldn't hurt to share what you already have with her. Who knows, maybe she could even notice something we're overlooking right now"

"Indeed. All minds think differently, some able to see certain angles better than others" Added Norman

"So what do we do then? Go back to the Weathertop or head straight for the Golden Hesperonis?"

Alex's group took a moment to think about their choices before Alex came up with a solution.

"In that case, how about we split up in two groups?" He suggested while looking at Lily and Rick "One will go back to the Weathertop and tell Angela what we found at the obelisks while the other goes with Jerico to the Golden Hesperonis"

"I don't really like that idea..." Said Lily with a worried expression "I mean, won't a crazy person with an axe and a mask come for us if we do that?"

"This isn't an old horror movie, you know..." Replied Rick while turning his head to look at her and sweat dropping, then turning his head to look at Alex "Her comment aside, she has a good point. Splitting up would be dangerous, especially for the group heading back to the Weathertop"

Alex didn't answer right away to the sailor's argument. On hindsight, he was right. Assuming he and Max went to the Golden Hesperonis with Jerico, Lily and Rick would be left to fend for themselves and to protect Alice. And considering how much danger they faced on their way to the Redwoods, it was clear that taking that trip with only the three of them would be next to a death trap.

"If that's the case, then how about you borrow one of our tames?" Offered Jordan to them

"Really?" Questioned Alex

"I cannot say those animals are very easy to replace but it's not like we have much of an use for them at the moment. Especially with Frederick's current state." Explained the soft-spoken man "But with that said. As long as you manage to bring it back alive it should be okay."

"You mates mentioned your place is close to the beaches on the south of the island, right?" inquired Jerico "In that case, you should be alright with using a slick head as a ride as long as you steer clear of the swamp and don't stay too long around the larger rivers and forests. That's usually where the big chompers stick by"

"Slick head?" Asked Rick while looking at the cowboy-ish man and sweat dropping. But his question went by without receiving an answer.

"Alright then...In that case Alice, Lily and Rick will go back to the Weathertop and inform Angela of what we found while I will go with Jerico to the Golden Hesperonis and see if I can find something that could help us" Stated the sportsman while turning his head to look at his group

"You're not planning to go alone, are you?" Questioned the sailor

"No. I'm planning to take Max with me"

"Are you _sure_ that's a good idea? You two aren't exactly good buds right now"

"Hey, Rick!" Exclaimed Lily with a concerned expression

Jerico's group and Jordan looked at the sportsman lower his eyes and grow silent as a result of Rick's statement.

Ever since their return from the snow biome Alex and Max didn't talk with each other even once. Though this silent treatment bothered him greatly he couldn't blame the young man for it, or at least he didn't feel like he was in a position to blame him.

"I know that..."

"...Fine, do whatever you want" He said while brushing it off and simply accepting there was no talking his way through Alex's stubborness "How are you planning to convince him anyway?"

The sailor's question only received silence as a response. A silence that was broken not by the sportsman, but by Jerico.

"How about leaving that one to me?"

"What? No, that's something I should..." Stated Alex before suddenly stopping midway through his sentence, causing everyone to look at him with confusion as he lowered his gaze

"Alex?"

A short moment of silence took place before the sportsman finally broke it.

"Nevermind..." He replied with his gaze still downcast and his tone less energetic than before "Sorry but I'll leave it up to you, Jerico"

"(Alex...)" Thought Lily while looking at him with concern

"No worries mate...Besides, I've been meaning to tell him something for a while now"

Looks of curiosity spread among both Alex and Jerico's group but neither side was all too sure what he meant, and a few among the sportsman's group were more concerned about their leader at the moment.

Eventually Jordan left for his treehouse in order to check on Frederick. And a few hours later everyone had dinner before going to sleep. Everyone save for Jerico, who remained awake for a little longer in order to have a little chat with Max in privacy.

Surely enough he found the young man just outside the house sitting against the wall with Wilson Next to him. His eyes focused on the forest and one arm wrapped firmly around his spear.

"Howdy" Greeted Jerico while looking at him. This received no response, but that was expected at this point "Sorry to bother, just wanted to see how you were doing"

The cowboy-ish man waited for a moment or two while looking at Max. And yet no words came out of his mouth nor do his eyes diverted towards him.

"Guess you really are the quiet type, huh?" He said while scratching the back of his head with a smile "Can't say being given the cold shoulder twice doesn't bugger me a little, but not like I can complain...Anyway, Just came here to tell you your mates are splitting up and going back to that camp of yours while muscle boy and yours truly are going on a little road trip to this place called "The Golden Hesperonis" to get some info on those fancy artifacts"

As he explained the situation Wilson's stare remained focused on Jerico. This made him feel like it was a good thing since if the bird was looking at him, then the young man was most likely listening as well.

"Well. The long and short of it is, muscle boy wants you to come with us to the Golden Hesperonis. You don't need to answer me now, just tag along with whoever you wanna go with tomorrow, okay?" Stated Jerico before turning around and heading back towards the front door, then suddenly stopping to look at him over his shoulder one last time "Oh, and by the way. If you do plan to tag along tomorrow, then you might wanna get rid of that new legion coin before we go there. The Golden Hesperonis and the new legion are not exactly good mates, if you catch my drift"

Max's eyes widened after hearing Jerico mention the new legion's coin and he quickly diverted his eyes to look at him. In all the time spent in the tree house, he probably took out the trinket to look at it only once or twice at most and always made sure to be alone when doing so. But it seemed as though he wasn't careful enough. Did Jerico sneak around him during these short moments? Did he rummage through his belongings while he and Wilson were sleeping? The questions began pumping out one after the other.

"Now then, gonna go hit the man sack. Don't let the critters bite"

With those parting words the cowboy-ish man went back inside, leaving Max and Wilson by themselves with only the lingering sound of the wind blowing softly through the redwoods.

A few minutes after he left, the young man reached out into his pant's pocket and took out the coin that he had been carrying ever since leaving the Weathertop. At first he kept it out of mere curiosity towards the New Legion and the words of that man dressed in camouflage clothing said to him, but after what he overheard about them it was no question that their rather bad relationship with those who inhabited the island would make holding onto the coin any longer more trouble than it was worth.

The thought lasted for a moment or two before making a decision. He then got up on his feet, walked up closer to the edge of the platform and tossed the coin away as hard as he could. The little metal trinket flying off into the distance and getting lost into the dark vegetation below.

And with that taken care of, Max returned to his spot at Wilson's side, but not without first taking one short look through the wooden window and seeing the light of fire emerging from within. The inside seemed pretty well lit despite the outside being pitch black, and it gave the house a much more cozy appearance. Yet he felt no interest in going in, nor did the thought to do so run through his mind even once as he sat next to Wilson, where he remained vigilant for a few more hours before finally going to sleep while the Dodo sat at his side, staring at the young man before nesting next to him for warmth and eventually falling asleep as well.

* * *

*Scene*

The following day everyone got up early and prepared for the upcoming journey. Just as he promised yesterday, Jordan brought one of the Parasauruses for Lily, Alice and Rick to ride all the way back to the Weathertop while Jerico and Alex would head to the Golden Hesperonis with a copy of Lily's sketches, prepared in adavance yesterday, in hopes of finding some useful information.

Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, Max chose to go with Jerico and Alex rather than go back to the Weathertop with the others. Unfortunately it was hard to tell the exact reasoning behind this decision as he wasn't too talkative at the moment.

"Well, we'll be on our merry way now" Said Jerico while turning his head to look at the rest of Alex's group, who were already strapped up on the Parasaur's saddle and ready to leave as well "You mates take care now"

"Same goes for you guys" Replied Rick while holding onto the saddle's reins

"Take care, you guys!" Added Lily as well

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Just make sure you guys make it back to Angela and the others safely. We should meet you there in a day or two" Stated Alex while turning his head to look at them

The sailor nodded in agreement to this and then cued the tame to begin walking. The tree of them sitting on the saddle and moving away as Jerico, Alex and Max ventured into the forest towards a different direcction.

"I really hope Angela and the others are doing okay" Said Lily in an attempt to start a conversation

"Honestly it's hard to tell when it comes to this messed up island but they seemed to become a much more solid group than before thanks to fending off those Raptors together before we left. Besides, that Angela girl seemed to have a good grip on things"

"I bet everyone's gonna be really surprised when we show them this Duckusaurus, too!" Replied the young woman before turning her head to look at the girl holding onto her waist "Hey, Alice. What do you think?"

The young woman's attempt to include the little girl into the conversation was to no avail. Alice's mind was focused on one thing alone, and that was Max.

Not only now but also during the short exchange of words and even the entire morning preparation the little girl's gaze remained focused on him all the time. Yet the young man never turned his head or even his eyes to look at her once, even now as the two of them were heading their sepparate ways the young man's gaze remained focused on the path ahead of him, leaving nothing other than callous silence in response to the watchful stare of his little sister.

Lily kept alternating between looking at Alice and Max as the distance grew longer and longer until finally making a decision and taking out one of her sketchooks. She then began searching for the sheet where she had the illustrations of the artifacts before finally finding it. She then quickly tore it off and handed it over to Alice

"Here, for you"

"Eh?" She replied as she snapped out of her trance and took a hold of the paper, then looked at the contents "Erm...Thank you?"

The little girl looked at the drawing of the artifacts with surprise and confusion as she was not completely sure what the point of handing the illustration over to her really was. Unfortunately she didn't even have the time to ask her as the young woman quickly got her left leg over the saddle and jumped off of the Parasaur, her balance being slightly off and almost making her fall after landing on the ground, and quickly headed back towards where the trio went.

"Hey-Lily!? Where are you going!?" Asked Rick while quickly stoping the tame from moving any further by pulling on the reins

"I changed my mind! I want to go to the golden bird place too!" She replied without stopping

"Huh!?"

"But what about Angela and the others!?" Asked Alice

This time Lily turned her head to look back at the little girl, and she did so with a wide smile on her face.

"Show them my drawing for me, okay!?"

And with those words Lily faced forward once again, heading off towards the other group as both Alice and Rick looked at her with confusion.

"(Damn it, why are those two so damn stubborn when it comes to him!?)" He thought with a frustrated tone while looking at her back "(Alex I get it, but what do _you_ find so important about these two siblings to make you go this far!?)"

"We shouldn't stop her, mister?"

"Even if we go after her, she probably won't listen anyway..." Replied the sailor without diverting his eyes away for a moment before switching his attention to the front and urging the tame to move forward once more

Meanwhile Lily, who already got away from viewing distance of Rick and Alice, ventured through the Redwoods to find the trio. Thankfully she was able to meet up with the group quickly due to them heading off on foot and not covering much ground yet.

Though her sudden appearance confused both Jerico and Alex neither of them rejected her request to tag along. Max wasn't very vocal about it but the antipathetic look on his face was more than enough to tell he was not all too happy with the idea of having her around. Then again, that was not really something new to everyone else.

Now with four members instead of three, the new group resumed their journey to the Golden Hesperonis. The silence lasting surprisingly little thanks to Jerico casually engaging in conversation with Lily every so often, with most of the topics being about the story they left unfinished yesterday or about Torito's recovery or even about a few trades he used to do some time ago. Alex didn't seem all too interested in hearing or even joining the conversation. In fact, he was being just as silent as Max at the moment, and just like Alice his gaze diverted towards him every now and then. He had hoped this trip would be his chance to try and find a way to fix things up with Max, but it was clear that the young man would not give him the time of the day. Or the night. Or any time at all.

"Alright, we're almost there mates" Stated Jerico while his eyes focused more and more on the trees lying ahead of them.

So far the trio could see nothing more than more forest ahead but it was after crossing through a few patches of vegetation that they got to see their destination.

Of the many trees surrounding the area almost half of them had wooden platforms placed upon them and were evenly spread out around the area. Though difficult to distinguish from the ground below the group could see small wooden buildings on the platforms and rope bridges that connected them together. There were also a few giant ballistas and catapults placed on them, and they could easily see half a dozen people on each platform keeping guard close to the edges and looking all around the area down below. A massive set of thick stone walls reaching as high up as the platforms themselves spread out from left to right with a gigantic set of reinforced wooden doors spreading open to let a bronto wearing a saddle of sorts with a metal platform that in itself was carrying what seemed lke dozens of crates go in. Close to the base of that massive gate there was a much smaller but still relatively large doorway made of the same material as the behemoth door. In front of it they saw a group of a few dozen people lined up, some with Parasauruses, Stegos, Trikes and other types of hervibores carring different types of merchandise ranging from leather to wood to stone and even certain types of food judging by how some of the boxes resembled those Frederick used.

"Alright mates, no making a ruckus now okay?" Said Jerico while turning his head to look at them "These bogans might be armed, but they won't shoot you if you keep it cool and play along"

Alex and Lily looked at each other for a short moment before following behind Jerico. Max keeping a slightly longer distance but following behind them as well. And once upon arrival they waited at the end of the line as the people briefly had their belongings and those of their tames inspected, along with being shortly interrogated, by a couple of men dressed in full sets of chitin armor with the same symbol as the parchment of paper on the shoulder and carrying metal pikes along with pistols strapped to their hips. Their appearance made Alex felt uneasy, but he did his best to bear with it and wait until it was finally their turn to go in and face the guard.

"So, what do we have here?" Said the man on the left while stepping closer to check out the group

"Howdy!"

"Three males, one female" He reported while looking across the group, then lowering his head to notice Wilson after hearing it chirp "...And a Dodo..."

"A Dodo? Who the hell travels around with a Dodo?" Asked the second guard on the right with a tone of disbelief and a confused expression

"It's...Our friend's pet" Answered Alex quickly "It just started following him all of a sudden one day and we decided to keep it"

"I see...Anyway, what's your bussiness here in the Golden Hesperonis?"

"Same as everyone else, officer. Just wanting to get myself some supplies, maybe even find some folk to make trades with" Responded Jerico while placing one hand on his chest, then gesturing at the trio "And these mates here are looking for some good as job"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah...Muscle boy and Dodo boy here want to find some work as hired muscle, and this Sheila here wants to find some work doing crafts"

The two guards looked carefully at the trio for a moment before the man on the right was the first one to break the silence

"Don't look like much to me, but not like it matters" He stated while shrugging and then looking at Alex, followed by Max "There's always demand for more cannon fodder, after all"

"And what about you, girl? What's your craft?" Asked the guard on the left

"My craft?"

"What can you make?"

"Oh!" She stated in surprise before suddenly smiling "Well...I can do drawings"

"Draw? That's all?" Said the guard on the right with a somewhat dissapointed tone

"Wouldn't be so quick to judge if I were you. This Sheila here is one sweet as master with the pen and paper" Interrupted Jerico before looking at the young woman and gesturing with his head to show them some proof.

Lily was confused by his gesture at first but eventually understood and quickly reached into her backpack and took out one of her sketchbook to show the guards some of her drawings. The eyes of both of them widening like plates after seeing the sheets filled with artwork.

"Woah..."

"Holy crap, man..."

"See? Told'ya she's the real deal"

"No shit...I bet you'd get some fine coin out of those big fishes and merchants living in the monkey bussiness house with this sort of fancy stuff"

"Thank you! I practiced a lot!" Said Alice with a slightly embarassed yet also proud smile on her face

"Well, anyway. You guys seem alright so we'll let you come through after doing the check-up" Said the guard on the left while pointing at Jerico's bag "We need you to show us what's on your bags, okay?"

"Roger that. sir"

Calmly and without haste Jerico took his bag from his back and opened it to let the guards see the contents within as he rummaged through it. All they found within was just a couple of waterskins and some pieces of dry meat for eating during the travel. After being sure that was everything to be seen the guard stepped aside to approach Alex and Lily instead. Save for the later, who had a couple of extra sketchbooks, a plastic pencil box and a small drawstring pouch where she kept some of Norman's biscuits, their contents were slightly similar to those of Jerico save for the fact they had plastic bottles instead of waterskins.

When the turn for Max to show his bag arrived he didn't do it right away. Instead he glared at the guards in the same way he did with anyone that got too close for comfort to him, though this didn't seem to affect them in the least.

"What's the problem? Got something to hide?" Asked the guard on the right while walking closer. His hand placed on his hip and dangerously close to his gun

"N-No! It's just that he's really not the talkative type and-!"

"We don't need him to talk, only to show us what's on the bag" Interrupted the man "We need to make sure we don't let "troublesome" folk go in. You know...People like, for example, new legion spies?"

"Look, we just need you to open your bag and rummage through it so we can see what's inside" Added the guard on the left in an attempt to solve things peacefully "If you do that, then you and your group can go through. No trouble, no fuss, okay?"

A cold sweat ran down Alex and Lily's backs as the glaring between Max and the guards took place before the young man finally took a hold of his bag, put it in front of them and opened the zipper to let the two men clad in chitin armor see what was inside.

Just like the others he carried plastic bottles filled with water and a small drawstring pouch full of berries for Wilson. What truly caught the attention of the guards though was a medium-sized object, probably around the same size as a water bottle and wrapped in sheets of paper.

"What's that wrapped thing you've got there?"

It took a short moment before Max reached into his backpack and pulled out the paper-wrapped object the guards were so wary of before he undid the wrappings, revealing it to be nothing more than just a couple of pieces of cooked meat covered in sparkpowder for preservation.

"Huh...Just meat..." Said the guard on the right "Well. Whatever...I guess you guys can go through..."

While the young man wrapped the meat again and placed it within his bag, Alex and Lily tried to walk forward but their path was quickly stopped by the guard's metal pike.

"But don't even think about trying to stir up any trouble, am I clear? The city guards will _not_ hesitate to shoot you if needed"

"Ye-Yes!"

"We understand!"

"In that case, enjoy your stay"

With the pike out of their way, the group was now truly able to walk through the large gates and venture inside.

Even from the outside it was easy to tell the city's architecture was impressive but it paled in comparison with what was lying in wait inside.

Streets of dirt spread out far into the depths of the city with an intersection every few buildings in a similar fashion to that of modern towns, on both sides wooden buildings of all shapes and sizes could be seen. The tallest ones being around three floors tall at most and some only being one floor tall and lined together with others while the larger buildings had slightly more space in between, allowing for alleyways to be made. For the much larger tames such as the Brontos there seemed to be far larger streets leading to warehouses located close to the edges of town that were big enough to house the titanic beasts of burden and the goods they transported.

But even more impressive than any of the streets was the center where nearly half a dozen Redwood trees stood closely to each other while surrounding the much larger one, towering above all others like a castle standing taller and mightier than a house. Each one having two large stone platforms built on them, the ones on the lower level being conformed of even larger buildings than those on ground level and made of stone rather than wood. Then at the top layer the buildings were not only built of stone as well but also had a notably larger ornamentation going for them in their structure and large windows probably meant to give those within a clear view of the entire city from high above. Both levels seemingly connected through metal elevators that descended to a large guild-like building placed on the base of the trees.

"Wauw...Just...Wauw..." Said Alex in surprise.

"Amazing! It's like an elven nation from a fantasy setting!" Remarked Lily with starry eyes and a wide smile, her excitement twice as intense as usual.

"Pretty rippers, eh mates?"

Both the young woman and the sportman didn't even need to say a thing in response as their expression were more than enough of an answer for Jerico. Even Max couldn't help but gaze at the incredible architecture, even if not with the same awe as the others.

"This mates is the island's trading capital, the Golden Hesperonis"

"(The Golden Hesperonis...)" Thought the young man while looking at the towering trees and the structures built on them.

After a short moment the group began moving once again. The streets they walked down were packed with people of all types, dressed in many different colors and styles of clothing. Some ranging from single cloth and hide or a combinaton of both to chiting and even metal armors, though rarely anyone sported a full suit of said armors, instead opting to wear it partially in different places such as the torso, the arms or even just the forearms and legs while the rest was either cloth or hide as well. Some people even wore hooded cloaks to cover their faces and bodies. Most people moved by foot while others relied on their mounts or simply walked by guiding them by the reins, there were also those who walked together in large groups while dressing similarily and others that stopped to engaged in conversation with each other or just simply laid down on the streetside to relax and watch the crowds move from one place to the other. Surprisingly, despite the notable amount of people and tames, there was just about enough room to walk around without getting too crowded or needing to maneuver their way through.

"Woah...There's so many different people here!" Said Lily while looking at her surroundings with amazement

"Folk from all over the island gather around here to set up good trading deals between smaller tribes or to find some work as hired muscle" Explained Jerico while walking "Some even try to set up a bussiness of their own after getting enough Hespis to buy a place"

"Hespis?"

"It's the place's unique currency. The official name is Hesperonises but most people call them Hespis cause it's easier on the tongue"

"I thought the island's economy was based purely on trading"

"The rest of the island, yes. But the Golden Hesperonis developed an unique type of coin to use within the city and make a more uniform economy. You can usually get it in decent amounts if you're part of their private army or have a bussiness of your own within the city but outsiders can only get them by trading with the city's merchants or by trading supplies, though you usually need to put up a lot of stuff on the counter to get even a few Hespis in return and not a lot of folk are willing to give their Hespis lightly"

"I see...Sounds like they're very valuable"

"That's not all they're good for either" Continued the cowboy-ish man "Hespis can be used to buy special things like properties or permits for special trading within the city. And if you manage to do well enough you can even get yourself a place at the upper city"

"So that platform is called the upper city?"

"Yup, that's where all the fat fish live. The first platform is mostly lucrative merchants and the leaders of the city's private army. Then the second and highest platform is where the council that founded the place and rules over it lives in" He answered while looking at it "The official name is upper city but locals like to call it "The monkey bussines house" because of the giant trees"

"So not only an economy, they even have an entire goverment already" Said Alex while looking at the platforms once again, this time a different question arising in his mind "Just how long have people been living in this island for?"

"Beats me, mate. As far as I know, the Golden Hesperonis has been around for fourthy years or so and the New Legion has been around for even longer" Responded Jerico while shrugging "I also heard Humans themselves have been around for way longer than that, but you never know when it comes to rumors"

Not only the architectural scale of the city but even the complex structure of the economic system and the ruling goverment alone were things that definitely would require a notably long time to construct, not to mention the time needed to condition people into accepting and submitting to such a system couldn't be a one-day effort either.

This line of thought soon brought on a new question into his mind. If people living in the island were able to reach a level of advancement that allowed them to create towns and even modern weapons such as rifles and shotguns, then why didn't anyone manage to build a boat capable ot taking them out of the island or make a radio to contact the outside world?

Jordan's words about people simply giving up on leaving the island echoed within his mind once more, but something within him made him feel like there was more to it than just that. After all not everyone could have given up as easily as the soft-spoken man said, at least not without trying.

"Anyway, first things first" Stated Jerico, causing everyone to look at him again "I want to go by the marketplace to get me some meat for Torito. You mates don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all"

"Rippers! Let's go then. But stick close, mates. It's a piece of piss to get lost around here"

Alex and Lily nodded in agreement before following after Jerico. Eventually reaching a circular wide open market area. Dozens of small stalls spread out in rows all over the area, each one bearing a different kind of merchandise on display.

"Eggs of all sizes and breeds! Come and get some fresh eggs!"

"Quality vegetables! Special offer on Savoroot and Longrass! Buy it while it's still available!"

"Necklaces, rings, armlets and all sorts of decoration for you and your tames! Made of stainless steel and to endure the harsh travels through the island!"

"Sharpening stones! Keep your blades and spears sharp enough to cut through man and beast alike with our special flint whetstones! Guaranteed to make even the dullest dagger cut through a Stego's scales like butter!"

The countless voices of merchants announcing their goods and their supposed quality or offering special sales kept echoing from left and right, everyone doing their utmost effort to attract as many customers as they could. Though Jerico paid no mind to them and kept moving at a steady pace until finally reaching a cetain stall with varying types of meat on dislay and managed by a middle-aged woman wearing a white scarf over her head that covered some of her dark grey hair and waist apron as well.

"Howdy, miss Jessie!"

"Oh! Jerico boy!" Said the woman with a notably cheery tone and smile "It's been some time since your last visit, isn't!? You seem to be in good health!"

"Could say the same for you! Still looking young as ever!" Responded the cowboy-ish man with a smile while taking off his hat in a gesture of respect

"Oh please, you know that's not true! This old lady is already way past her prime!" She continued while gesturing with one hand under her mouth and the other one gesturing stop joking "Anyway, how is everyone at the treehouse doing? Are you and little Torito eating enough?"

"Me good ol' clober still eats like a fat man on an all you can eat buffet, so no worries there" Stated Jerico before his eyes lowered slightly "Can't say it's been a piss of piss for the others. Bunch of bogans attacked us the other day and got Jeff"

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that..."

"No worries. This stuff happens all the time when you're out in the wild"

Alex lowered his gaze as well. Even if Jerico's words were probably right, it was still hard to erase that lingering "what if?" feeling. This was specially true for a death that took place right in front of your very eyes.

"Anyway, no point in getting all moody about what happened" Said Jerico while looking at the middle-aged woman again "So, got the thing I asked for in the letter?"

"Oh, right. Just give me a moment" She responded before turning around to open a preserving bin placed on the back and pulling out a slightly larger and more pink-ish colored cut of meat "Here you go. It's not as great as the cuts gotten from the larger animals but the taste shouldn't be too different"

"Rippers!"

Jerico took a hold of the piece of prime meat and looked at it with a pleased expression.

"My husband and that boy he took as an apprentice managed to take down a Carno the other day, though this is the best cut they could get without it spoiling on the way back to the city"

"No worries, miss. This one should be enough to make Torito drool like a waterfall" He replied while giving her back the prime meat "Also sounds like the old timer's doing well too"

"Oh, yes! Ever since he took that boy as an apprentice the bussiness has been doing better than usual! But more than that, I think he's just happy to have someone else to teach his hunting skills again"

"He did love to play the teacher for kiddos back in the tribe you were with, after all"

"Yes, those were good days indeed. I was still young enough to ride our trike through the southern plains of the east while going out hunting...Ahhh, I miss those days..."

Alex and Lily kept looking in silence at the cheery conversation between Jerico and the woman unfold. Both of them had the exact same thought in regards to her.

"(This woman...She's just a normal person)"

After constantly running through a monster-infested island and encountering tribes and groups of bandits alike, meeting with a person who gave off such a sense of normality was completely unexpected, even slightly relieving in a way. It almost made the world outside of the walls feel like a bad dream.

This pensive moment didn't last long as the middle-aged woman noticed their stares during her conversation.

"By the way, Jerico. Are those your friends?"

"Yup. These mates right here helped me out with those bogans a while back" Replied Jerico while turning his head to look at Alex and Lily "Mates, this woman here is miss Jessie. Her husband taught me how to hunt back when we were in the same tribe"

"Nice to meet you" Said Alex first, followed by Lily who repeated the same words. Save that she did it with slightly more lively tone

"The pleasure is all mine. I'm always glad to meet Jerico's friends" She replied with a kind smile before diverting her attention towards Max, who didn't say a word yet and was simply looking at them "Is that boy your friend too?"

"Oh. This is Max" Quickly said the sportsman while looking at him, then at her "He doesn't like to talk a lot"

"Don't worry, miss Jessie. Dodo boy might not be the friendliest mate on the block, but he's a fair dinkum guy to trust" Added Jerico while pointing at Max with his thumb "Mate always takes good care of his Dodo mate Wilson and even saved Torito once"

The woman seemed surprised for a moment before looking at them with a relieved expression

"Well, if Jerico says so then I'm sure you kids are trustworthy people" She said while beaming at the trio before looking at him again "But I was honestly surprised. You usually never bring people with you to the city"

"Yeah but these mates are though as nails so it's all good. Besides, they needed a hand with a little something so I told them about this place"

"A little something?"

The woman alternated between looking at Jerico and Alex before the latter took a step closer.

"We're looking for these things called "artifacts"" He explained before taking the sheet of paper with the illustrations on it and showing them to her "Do you know anything about them?"

The meat shop woman took a glance at the drawing for a short moment or two with a pensive expression before closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, darling. This old lady has never heard about those artifact thingies before" She replied with an apologetic expression "But they look a lot like those towers, so they must be very important"

"Yeah, we found out about them by visiting the base of the obelisks"

"I see...I always wondered what those things were, but my husband preferred to keep his distance from them. Said they always made his skin crawl"

"I can kind of get what he means..." He replied while turning his head to look at the walls. Even if the gigantic trees made it impossible to see the obelisks, he could still feel that shiver running down his spine just by thinking about them

"Lots of travelers and city folk alike tend to gather at bars and inns around town so I would probably start there" She continued "I'm pretty sure the people living in the upper city or even the council probably know about them, but the guards won't let you through without a permit"

"So we have to go to every single inn and bar in the town or get a permit then?"

"That would take days, mate. There's lots of those in this city and permits cost an eye and half the other one to get"

"Damn it, it's like we're looking for a needle in a haysack" Said Alex while scratching the back of his head

A short moment took place as the group thought about what to do before their attention was suddenly caught by the middle-aged woman once more.

"Ah! I remembered!"

"What's that, lady?"

"I remember some of the other stalls talking about a man that's been going around town asking everyone what they know about those towers!" She explained "Maybe he knows something about those artifacts you're looking for?"

"Where can we find him?"

"I'm not really sure, but probably the stall selling stone and flint over there does. I've heard he's been visiting him frequently as of late"

The group turned their heads to look at the stand the middle-aged woman was point at before looking at her again.

"Thanks for the help!"

"Oh please. Jerico's friends are friends of mine too!"

"Well, here's the Hespis for the meat" Said Jerico while taking a handful of hespis out of a pouch on his belt and handeed them over to her "By the way, mind keeping the meat in the bin for me a bit longer? There's a few loose ends we need to handle before going back"

"Of course! Just come by to pick it up whenever you're ready!"

"Thanks, miss Jessie!"

With the prime meat issue solved and a new lead given to work with, the group headed to the next stall while Jessie waved goodbye at them.

"Make sure you stay healthy now, and if you ever need something don't hesitate to visit!"

"Goodbye, miss meat seller!" Replied Lily while waving at her for a moment, then looking forward again "She seemed like a really nice lady"

"Bloody oath to that" Stated Jerico with a smile "I'd probably be just another feral or bogan if not for her and her husband"

After following the woman's suggestion the group went to visit the stone and flint stall to question the owner about the man she told them about. The stall owner mentioned the man's strong interest in not only the obelisks but also a strange interest in the stone and flint he sold. He also mentioned that the man in question seemed to work at a weapons store a few blocks away from the market.

The group then left the marketplace and went to find the place he spoke about. Most of the buildings they found were different stores, but the only one they found that sold weapons so far was a small gun store with a sign that read "Guns/swords/pikes/crossbows".

"Do you think this is the place?" Asked Alex while looking at the sign over the door

"Didn't see any other stores selling guns on the way here. It's worth checking out"

The sportsman nodded in agreement with the cowboy-ish man before opening the door and walking inside. The small ring of a bell echoing through the place as they walked inside and catching the attention of the man standing behind the counter. A man in his late thirties with a scar on his cheek and a green-colored cloth outfit.

crossbows and longneck rifles hanged from the walls while pikes, swords and clubs were neatly lined up in weapon racks. A few rifle and pistol bullets along with arrows displayed on a shelf behind the counter. Most likely not on sale but to display the goods available.

"Welcome to my shop. What do can I help ya with?"

"Hello. We were wondering if you could help us find someone" Asked Alex after approaching the counter "A man that's been questioning a lot of people about the obelisks"

"Yeah, I know the guy" Replied the gun shop owner "What'cha want with him, sonny?"

"We just want his help finding something related to the obelisks"

"Oh? Well that sounds like something he'd like to know alright" Responded the man with a surprised expresion

"So, do you know where we can find him?"

"He's in the back of the shop. Weirdo likes to spout a lot of mumbo jumbo stuff about "chemicals" and their "compositions" and whatnot, but he makes one hell of a sparkpowder and gunpowder formula so I hired him and that crazy brat of his"

"Crazy brat?"

Before the owner could say even one more word everyone was scared out of their socks by a sudden explosion like that of a firework followed by intense lights coming from the room on the back. Through the doorway they could see what looked like balls of colored lights bouncing from one place to the other as smoke of similar colors began to emerge from within the room, followed by coughing sounds of a man.

"Damn it! The formula blew up again!"

"Woah! I guess that new mix was a bit too powerful for the bamboo flare gun!" Added a second voice. This one sounding like a younger female voice and expressing a seemingly more optimistic and energetic feeling "Still, I feel like it could work if we find a way to keep the whole thing from exploding at the same time...Alright, let's try it again!"

"Alright then. Just try not to burn down the place or the old fart could get pissed off again"

"I already am pretty pissed off! Stop talking as if I couldn't hear you, you dumb bastards!" Snarled the gun shop owner with a popped vein mark on his head "Also, who are you calling an old fart!? We're pretty much the same age!"

"Wha-What was that just now!?" Said Alex with widened eyes and a surprised expression

"Damn it, those two! Do they want the city guards to shut me down for fire hazard or something!?"

The owner quickly left the counter to go to the back with a rather heavy step and an infuariated expression.

"Ah, hey there owner"

"Don't "Hey there" me! Just how many times does this make that you nearly blew up my store!? Do you want to get all three of us evicted from the city!?"

"Sorry"

"Sorry!"

"If you're gonna apologize at least try to pretend you mean it!"

"Stop getting so angry, owner. You'll go bald"

"And whose damn fault do you think I'm this angry all the time!?"

While listenting to the argument take place the group could do nothing but stand there in silence and sweat drop. On one side it sounded like a rather serious thing, but on the other it also sounded like it was already a pretty common occurence as well.

"Anyway, come to the front you mad cientist. Someone wants to talk with you"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Some kids saying they want to show you something related to the obelisks"

"Oh, really!?" Asked the man with notable interest in his voice

"The obelisks!?"

The sound of footsteps on the wood multiplied and got louder as the man and woman on the back quickly came the front counter to meet up with the group. They saw both a man with green eyes, white skin and hazelnut shoulder lenght hair tied up in a ponytail along with a scruffy, clearly unkept beard. He was wearing a dirty lab coat torn at the bottom over an equally dirty half-open shirt and brown demin pants.

The girl, on the other hand was notably younger. She had white skin with frekles spreading around ther nose and part of her cheeks and chest-lenght curly red hair along with brown eyes. Her outfit consisted of a black tube top and cloth pants, except that unlike the usual ones these were heavily modified with larger pockets and small straps on both sides to hold onto multiple small tools like screwdrivers and wrenches along with a belt of her own that was already fully equipped with a set of tools that Alex nor Lily could recognize. She was also wearing a pair of dark brown work boots and a purple bandana along with worn leather gloves.

Upon looking at the duo Alex and Lily's eyes widened like plates.

"Mister Nerris!?"

"Olivia!?"

"Ah!" Responded both of them with surprise, seemingly recognizing both the young woman and the sportsman.

And in this sudden and haphazard manner the group managed to reunite with yet another one of their fellow students and even their chemistry teacher.

*Scene*

* * *

After Olivia and Nerris cleaned up the remants of their "test", the group left the gun store and went with the engineering student and the chemistry professor to an inn/tavern where the two of them currently stayed at. They sat down together at a table after ordering beef jerky and began talking about both the travels they made and the groups of students they met.

"I see...I think I get the picture now" Said the professor Nerris while placing both hands together in a pensive manner with his head lowered. A lit cigarette in his mouth releasing a small cloud of smoke upwards "So to put it shortly, Angela is leading a small group of blue students and built themselves a base on the southern isles and the white students are staying with a small tribe while Dahlia is working as their leader's advisor"

"Yes. We didn't meet Amelia yet but we heard from Jerico that she and a group of green students traveled to the West of the island" Responded Alex "I honestly have no idea where the purple flower is, though"

"Huh?"

The professor looked at the sportsman with confused expressions, almost as if he couldn't understand the reasoning behind his words. This made Alex feel more than a little bit confused as well.

"Wh-What's wrong? Did I say something weird?"

"You said you didn't meet the purple flower yet?"

"Yeah, that's right..."

"So you really don't know?" He asked with a surprised expression before placing one hand on top of his head and closing his eyes "Well, I guess not a lot of people know about the flowers from the other schools unless they are really interested in them"

"Seriously Mister Nerris, what are you talking about?"

" _Lily_ is the purple flower, kid"

While the professor pointed at the young woman, who was cheerily eating her serving of beef jerky, Alex alternated between looking at her and him for a moment or two before finally speaking again.

"Wait, seriously!?"

"Seriously"

"Hey, Lily! You're the purple flower!?" Asked Alex while quickly looking at her

"Yes, I am" She answered with a blank expression and a surprising calm to it, as if it was no big deal at all

"Then why didn't you say anything before!?"

"You never asked"

Another short moment of silence went by before a rather obvious thought coursed through the sportsman's head.

"(Now that I think about it, I never even thought of asking her about the purple flower)" He thought while sweat dropping

"Well, Anyway. I wouldn't worry too much about the other three if I were you" Continued the professor Nerris "Amelia has always been good at taking the lead, and she certainly has a way with words. Angela isn't as charming but she certainly is capable when it comes to organizing and leading others. And even if she's a bit of an ice queen, Dahlia isn't one of the flowers for nothing"

"You know a lot about those flower sheilas, don't you mate?" Asked Jerico, who up until now was silently eating his beef Jerky and listening to the conversation

"I only teach classes to Angela and Amelia but the flowers are a constant topic of conversation during the mensual faculty meetings. As a result I get to hear a lot about the other two as well" He responded while looking at the cowboy-ish man, then looking at Alex again "Anyway, I guess it's time we tell our side of the story, huh?"

"Actually, I was wondering about that. Just how did you end up in the Golden Hesperonis?"

"Let's see...The last thing I remember is waking up in the forest and wandering around until I ran into a trading caravan of miners. They brought me to the city and gave me a job as their stall's alchemist after I showed them I could make sparkpowder" Explained the professor, his eyes looking upward as he recalled the events that transpired for him since day one "After a week or so they introduced me to the owner of the gun store and I've been working for him ever since"

"And that's where you met Olivia?"

"No, I ran into her at the city's goverment building while on an errand to sort out some paperwork for the owner. Apparently she was trying to dissasemble one of their generators to see how it ticked and got into a heavy argument with the guards"

"I-I see..."

"But boy am I glad to see you're alive, Lily!" Said Olivia with a cheery smile before taking a good bite out of a piece of dried beef jerky "You have no idea how horrible it's been out here!"

"I know, right? All the monster in the island and-" Said Alex before being abruptly interrupted by the curly-haired woman

"There's almost _no machines_ in the entire city! There's only old school stuff here! Stone-era stuff! I can hardly do any tinkering around here!"

" _That's_ the horrible thing about this situation?"

"All the machines I can find are in those big warehouses or in the goverment buildings but those guys won't let me have fun with them! Even though I could probably make them work like, a hundred times better if they just let me do some tinkering"

"No...I think It's just common sense to not let strangers turn their machines back into a bunch of spare parts"

"I'm telling you, Lily. It's horrible! Horrible!" Said Olivia while smacking her hand against the table "It's the same as if you suddenly were completely unable to draw anything ever again!"

"Ne-Never draw anything again...!?" Asked the young woman with a shocked expression while suddenly growing paler

"You do realize she was just giving you an example, right?"

"So...I can still draw, right?"

"Yes you can"

"Oh...Thank goodness" She said with a sight of relief

"(So this is what it feels like to be Rick...)" Thought Alex while sweat dropping before diverting his gaze to look at Olivia "So Olivia, which of the four schools are you from?"

"The blue school! I'm studying to become a mechatronics engineer!"

"Mechatronics?"

"Basically it's like an hybrid branch of engineering that combines both electronics and mechanical engineering"

"It's a really amazing thing too, you know?" Added Lily "I once visited her at the blue school's workshop and she had all of these big machines piled up on the table. Even her room is full of all these scammatics on the walls!"

"You mean schematics?"

"Yeah, that!"

"Don't worry Lily! Even if you get the names wrong sometimes, you still know it's amazing and that's what really counts!" Stated Olivia while giving her a thumbs up.

"Sounds like you girls are good friends"

"That's right. Olivia usually comes up with lots of ideas for new machines and I help her draw the concepts for her blueprints and scammatics"

"Schematics"

"Yeah, that!"

"She's a really big help, I tell you!" Stated the blue engineering student "There's software programs to help me out with that, but it just feels so much better to do it by hand just watch it! Almost like you can touch the feeling of innovation, or like when a guy gets to touch a girl's breasts for the first time!"

Alex wasn't even sure how to reply to that. He could agree with her example, but he still wasn't all too sure if that was the sort of thing someone should say out loud. At least not in public.

"Erm, right..." He replied while sweat dropping "So...How did you two meet even though you're from different schools?"

"You see. During my first year I was starting to develop more and more complex designs to the point where my makeshift drawing skills couldn't keep up, but that was when I heard some of the teachers talking about Lily's incredible skills and decided to ask for her help"

"No one ever asked me to draw with them before so it made me really happy and drawing the concepts sounded fun so I agreed to help her" Added the young woman "Since we spent a lot of time together we ended up becoming friends"

"I see..." Responded Alex while looking at the two of them start to engage into conversation with each other "(I guess there's all kinds of friendships out there)"

As his mind dwelved into thoughts about Lily and Olivia's friendship the sportman's eyes eventually turned to the side to look at Max, who was sitting alone with Wilson on the empty table next to theirs. Not once through the conversation did the young man show any interest or attempt to join in with the others. In fact, not a single word came out of him during the entire day. He was probably paying attention when people brought up the subject of the obelisks, but that was as far as it went.

"Hey, you. You sure you don't want any?" Asked Professor Nerris while turning his head to look at Max and point at the beef jerky "We're gonna eat it all, you know"

Just as it was expected the young man gave no response, he simply diverted his eyes to him shortly before focusing once again on looking at his surroundings.

"Sorry, professor. He's...Not very talkative at the moment"

"I see..." He stated before diverting his gaze to the beef jerky once more "Well, whatever. More for me then"

"Erm...Okay?"

"What? You were thiking about something just now, weren't you?"

"No...I was just thinking you'd be a little more curious or something like that?" Asked Alex. Honestly believeing that at least the teacher would show some more concern about his student, especially considering how he seemed to be so interested to know about the others "You know, since you're a teacher an all..."

"Listen, Alex. I'll explain something important to you" Replied the professor Nerris "Every teacher has their own perception of what being a teacher means, and mine is that "a teacher's true duty is to teach his subject to his students". I'm a chemistry teacher, and a strictly professional one at that. My duties and obligations both as a person and as a professional go there and never extend beyond or before it"

"So what does that mean?" Asked Jerico this time

The chemistry professor took the cigarette off of his mouth and let out a breath of smoke before turning his head sideways and making an expression that would make one think he was about to say something wise or quote a famous person.

"It means...I don't give a flying shit about the peronal issues of my students"

"(That's _exactly_ the opposite of what a professional teacher would say in front of their students!)" Thought everyone while sweat dropping with their eyes closed before Alex added an extra thought "(Also, don't try to make it sound like you're dropping some great piece of wisdom when saying that!)"

"A-Anyway...How about we move onto the obelisks instead?"

"Sure thing. I've been wanting hear about them ever since the owner mentioned that "something" you wanted to show me"

Alex opened his bag and took out the illustrations of the artifacts before placing the sheet of paper on the table. In just a split second Olivia nearly ripped the sheet and his hands from him as she quickly got a hold of it to look carefully at them.

"Ohhhhhhh! So this is that something!?" She said with notable excitement in her expression and tone "The design looks like nothing I've ever seen before but my instincts as a lover of machines are screaming it at me! These are indeed some sort of piece of technology, and most likely a very advanced one as well!"

"The design looks kind of similar to the obelisk I saw on my way to the city" Added the chemistry professor "Where did you get these from?"

"We got them from the terminal located at the base of the obeli-"

"You visited the obelisks! ? ! ?" Asked Olivia while getting on top of the table and placing both hands on Alex's shoulders, moving him back and forth as she approached him with each question "Hey, tell me! What were they like up close!? What metal are they made of!? What type of energy do they use!? Is it solar, eolic, nuclear, or maybe even an unknown type!? Were there any hinges or places to remove!? Did you bring a piece of it!?"

"I-I don't know! I didn't check that sort of thing!" Replied the sportsman while placing his hands on hers and trying to move her away. But right now she had a surprisingly powerful grip on him "And it's not like I could check them up close when they were floating over the sky like tha-"

"They _float_ on the sky!? Does that mean they have some sort of anti-gravity device constructed into them!?"

"I already told you I don't know, please just stop shaking me!"

"Woah...I've never seen Olivia so excited before" Said Lily with widened eyes and a surprised expression.

"Kind of reminds of Torito when I made a barbie with that raw mutton I got from an Ovis in the wild" Added Jerico with an interested expression

"St-Stop just looking and help me already, you guys!"

The engineering student's ecstatic moment was fortunately contained by the professor Nerris who grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back on her seat.

"Lower the adrenaline dose, will you? You're bothering the other customers" He said before turning his head to look at the surrounding people. Most if not all of them looking at the group with surprised or confused expressions as a result of Olivia's crazy reaction just now. Not to mention she was still breathing heavily with an ecstatic face while almost salivating.

Truth to be told, even Max was unable to not look at what just happened with widened eyes. But eventually she managed to get a grip on herself and calmed down just about enough to not jump at Alex again.

"I'm sorry! I just got really excited when I heard about the obelisks!" She said with a smile while scratching the back of her head "I spent so much time without handling any machine that I just couldn't hold myself back!"

"I see..." Replied the Sportsman while sweat dropping "Anyway. as I was saying, we found about these artifacts after using the console at the base of the obelisks"

"There's a console? You mean like a computer?"

"No. It was more like a metal pedestal shaped like a plumbob and with a red gem on the center. The only way to interact with it was by using the implant on our forearms"

"Huh, so that's what these things are for" Said the professor while looking at his own implant "I was pretty surprised the first time I saw it, but I guess now it makes sense why everyone has one stuck on them"

"Whatever this implant is, it's fascinating!" Added Olivia while now looking at her own "It's embedded so flawlessly into the subject's arm that it's not only next to impossible to remove it without severely damaging the flesh and nervous system, but it's also completely unfeeling. And since even my best tools couldn't put a single scratch on it, it must be made of some ridiculously strong material as well! Probably even stronger than steel or titanium!"

"And whatever the reason for putting one of these on everyone's arm is, it has to be related to the obelisks and the artifacts" Stated Alex with a confident tone.

"So if we find the artifacts, we might get some answers. Is that what you're saying?" Asked the chemistry professor.

"More than that, we might even find a way to get out of the island. A way for everyone to get out of the island"

"If only it was that easy..."

"Eh?"

The professor Nerris put one cigarette on his mouth and lit it up, taking in one breath of the tobacco before that very same smoke went out as a sigh.

"Listen. I've been going around the entire city asking left and right about the obelisks for the last few weeks, yet I couldn't find anything more than what you told me. If anything, so far the most I learned about them came from our conversation just now"

"But even so, _somebody_ has to know about the artifacts!"

"I'm not saying it'll be impossible to find out about them. Just that they are definitely not common knowledge" Continued the professor "Most folk are either too busy struggling to survive or are just too scared of the obelisks to mess around with them. And the few who _do_ know about them are definitely not the type of average Joe you can have a chat with at the bar every friday night"

"There's always the few backdoor guys who know how to dig around for info, but I'd rather steer clear of that. You never know who's gonna try to stick a knife in you with those hooligans" Added Jerico with his arms crossed and eyes closed

"Hey, Jerico. Are you sure you don't know anyone that can help?"

"Afraid not, mate. Most of the bogans I've dealt with back in the day are either the type to sell their own mom and the few ones worth risking it with are probably pushing up daisies"

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

The question resonated within the heads of everyone in the group. Despite just spending less than one day in the Golden Hesperonis they were already starting to approach another dead-end. And randomly requesting help from people who might end up stabbing them in the back was most likely not a good idea either.

"Well...I don't know if it's related to the artifacts, but there _is_ a peculiar something I recall happening" Said mister Nerris as everyone looked at him

"What was that?"

"It happened back when I was with the miner caravan. We went to these hills to the north of the city to gather some materials and there I saw the entrance to a cave on the open plains" Explained the professor while recalling the events of that day, his eyes aimed slightly upwards while jogging his memory as best as he could "I wanted to check it out but the others nearly blew my ears off with how much they warned me to never approach that place. Kept telling me it was "cursed" or something like that"

"Cursed how?"

"Apparently the place is packed with monsters that become extremely aggressive if you try exploring the cave. Even among those that make it out in one piece some end up getting cursed with an intense fever and die shortly after going "feral" as they said" He continued "Honestly the whole curse talk sounded like a bunch of bullshit to me but since I didn't have the gear to go spelunking, not to mention I'm useless in a fight, I had no choice but to give up on it and leave"

"So you think there might be something that could help us find the artifact there?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for certain. Something about that cave made the implant on my arm itch...It was almost as if _something_ within the cave was calling for me"

Alex, Lily and Jerico exchanged stares before looking at him again. This time even Max's eyes were focused on the chemistry teacher. Unlike his usually lax tone, this time not only his words but something about the look in his eyes proved he was being completely serious.

If this cave he spoke of truly offered something useful in its depths, then it was certainly worth a shot.

"I guess it's worth checking out" Said Alex with a pensive expression before turning his head to look at his group "I mean, it's not like we have any other leads at the moment"

"I reckon we're gonna need to gear up for it first if we're doing this, mate" Adviced Jerico while pointing at the spear on his back "If the cave is as bloody wild as science man here says, then that wooden spear won't last long"

"I'm not gonna say you're wrong, but I can't exactly buy anything better than this...Or anything at all" Replied the sportsman, taking into account he had absolutely no Hespis at the moment nor any way to earn them

"Sorry mate, I don't have that much more Hespis on me either"

"If what you need is weapons, then just leave that to me" Stated the chemistry professor "I can't get you an entire armory, but I can probably smuggle some of the gear stocked up in the back without the owner knowing"

"But...Isn't that stealing?" Asked Lily with a concerned expression

"Now that she mentions it, the old man did seem pretty pissed off this time" Added Olivia, who until now was quietly listening while eating the remaining jerky "Pretty sure he's really gonna rip your thinker off if you piss him off again"

"Listen, you girls. There's nothing to worry about" Said Mister Nerris with a smug expression "You see, I've been stealing stuff from the school's kitchen and chemistry lab for years now, so I'm a pro at this sort of thing!"

"(Just how on Earth did this man manage to keep his job as teacher for so long?)" Thought everyone while looking at him and sweat dropping

In a way, Alex was starting to understand why the fact Mister Nerris never got fired or jailed despite being such a lazy teacher and burning down the chemistry lab twice in one year was considered one of the school's greatest mysteries up to date.

"So this is what the teachers from that school place of yours are like, eh? Sound like a bloody wild place to me"

"No. This guys is _exactly_ the opposite of what a normal and decent teacher would be. Don't even think for a second all teachers are like him" Quickly said Alex while turning his head to look at him

"Well, anyway. If you guys try going now you probably won't come back until night, so we'll have to wait until tomorrow" Stated the chemistry professor while getting up "This inn is pretty cheap so you should try getting a room to spend the night here"

"Where are you going, Mister Nerris?"

"Back to the store. Still have some gunpowder that needs making and I need to get the goods ready for smuggling"

And with that explanation Mister Nerris walked away, leaving the group alone with Olivia. After eating what remained of the jerky Alex and the others rented out a room at the inn where they stayed the night. The room was somewhat similar to the guest rooms offered by Bjorn save that the thatch beds were notably more worn out.

The noise didn't cease during the night and the streets, although dark, still sounded notably busy up until late. Lights of torches from the outside of the buildings, the rooms and even some of the people walking through the streets were visible through the window. It was certainly a louder scenery than the stillness of the wild, but not having to worry about a giant lizard trying to eat them alive in their sleep was definitely much more pleasant.

By the time midnight arrived everyone was already on their bed, save for Max who was staying outside as "pets" were not allowed to stay at the rooms and unfortunately Wilson was considered a pet. This, combined with all the things both Jerico and Eddy said about the "dangerous" side of the Golden Hesperonis made Alex feel so uneasy he just couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. It seemed unlikely that a scenario like the one that took place in the snow biome would happen and Jerico assured him that as long as he stayed just outside the inn and didn't try to wander off into any alleys things would be fine but it was still difficult to brush it off of his mind. Eventually he managed to fall asleep out of exhaustion and let the night pass, waking up early in the morning. Fortunately Max was still in front of the inn, watching the people walking through the street. Despite sleeping outside he seemed to be doing just fine, which wasn't all that surprising to Alex at this point considering how many nights they spent sleeping in the open.

Once everyone was ready to move out they met with Nerris and Olivia near the gate that led out of the city. The former giving them a pike and a crossbow with a few extra arrows. Both weapons were notably worn out but nonetheless seemed usable. Alex took the Pike while the crossbow was given to Lily out of Jerico's suggestion, as she only had a spear unlike Alex who already had a hatchet with him as a secondary weapon and Max who already had not only a spear and a bow, but also his makeshift dagger.

Following the direcctions given to him by the chemistry professor the group traveled north of the city and eventually reached the river. Crossing it took a fair share of time but eventually they managed to find a section shallow enough for them to cross without having to swim too much. And after an hour or so of more traveling they finally reached the location of the plains, as specified by Nerris.

"Ah! Over there!" Pointed Lily after spotting a cave entrance, causing everyone to look at it

"You think that's the place?" Asked Alex

"Only one way to find out mate" Said Jerico with one hand on his hat

Both Alex and Lily looked at each other before Max began walking towards the cave without any hesitation while Wilson followed behind him as it always did. This was followed by Jerico and eventually the two of them. Just as Nerris told them, everyone began to feel an odd itch in their forearms that only increased as they got closer.

"It looks really dark in there..."

"Don't worry sheila, I brought a torch. This critter killer of mine is not exactly built for going one-handed with though so you'll have to hold it for us"

"I get it! I'll do my best!"

Jerico then lit up the torch and gave it to Lily. The dark walls of the cave becoming moderately more visible as the group ventured inside. The stone path within slowly but steadly sloping downwards, taking them deeper underground. Drips of water and passing wind echoed through the dark rock walls along with their footsteps.

"Hey, do you think there really is something here?" Asked Lily while looking around her "All I see is rocks everywhere"

"Don't get too trusty now, sheila. Critters that live in dark places are bloody good at getting the jump on folk that let their guard down"

Right after that warning from Jerico the group heard screeching and crittering sounds echoing from the shadows ahead. This inmediately put everyone into a state of alert. Just a second later, a large flying creature came right at them with a blood-curling screech.

jolted by pure reflex Alex quickly reacted by thrusting his pike forward and stabbed it in the chest. The screech turning into a cry of pain as blood splattered over his pike and hands. The large creature falling to the ground like a rock and spasming for a short moment before Jerico shot it with an arrow and killed it for good.

"Holy crap! What was that thing!?"

"Looks like a big ass bat. If memory serves me right, I think they were called Onyc" Said Jerico while approaching the dead bat, now lit up more clearly thanks to Lily's torch "I heard these critters can transmit a nasty virus called rabies by bitting people, so be careful"

Alex nodded in agreement before the group began moving deeper into the cave once again. Not too long after new screeching sounds echoed, signaling the incoming threat. But this time Onycs were not the only ones to show up. Both giant scorpions and centipedes began slithering out of the shadows by the dozens and charge at them, forcing a large fight to break out.

"U-Uwah!? Huge bugs!"

"Stay calm! They're big critters but a good arrow to the face kills them just like any other!"

Arrows began to fly all around as both Max and Jerico kept shooting non-stop at the cave-dwelling creatures while Alex used his pike to fend off any stragglers that made it too close for comfort.

During the fight some of the centipedes began spitting balls of green blood-like liquid at them, one of them almost hitting Jerico in the face and forcing him to quikly lean his upper body sideways to avoid it.

"Careful with the million-leg critters! That thing they spit is acid blood! It'll melt your pike if you hit them with it" He said before shooting a bolth at one of the centipedes and hitting it right in the head "Sheila, keep the torch as high up as you can! We need to see them coming!"

"Ye-yes!" Replied Lily while stretching up her arms as high as she could

The fight ket going for longer than everyone could keep track off. The screeching of the beasts, the grunting of Alex as he swung and thrust with his weapon, the arrows flying through the air and hitting the creatures that released painful cries in response as they fell and died, all of these sounds combining and echoing through the dark reaches of the cave like a tormenting nightmare before the last creature fell dead, the chaos that ruled just moments ago being replaced by a long-drawn silence.

"You mates okay? No one got hit by the acid?" Asked Jerico, finally breaking the silence

"I'm okay..." Said Alex, panting from exhaustion while using his pike for support

"I-I'm okay too" Added the young woman while holding onto the torch with both hands.

"What about you, Dodo boy?"

Everyone turned to look at Max, though he seemed more focused on checking out if Wilson was alright at the moment than on them.

"Guess no one got hurt" Stated the sportsman with a relieved tone "Man, we were lucky..."

"We had good teamwork mate. Luck was just the cherry on top" Replied Jerico before walking towards the dead insects and pulling out his arrows from one of them, some blood pouring from the wound as he yanked the arrow out and swung the left-over blood off of it "Alright, let's take five. I need to see how many of these I can still use"

Max followed suit and began to yank out his arrows one by one while Alex took a short breather alongside Lily. Unfortunately, only about half of them were still in usable conditions due to the acidic blood of the centipedes melting both the stone head and the wood out of shape.

Once the arrow count was done and the sportsman recovered from his exhaustion the group resumed spelunking through the cave. Moving past the piles of corpses and into a wider cavern with packs of mushrooms glowing bright blue. These pockets of natural light were more than capable of catching their attention, but the real jawdropper took place when they ran into an even larger cavern with a small lake located in the center. Sunlight coming down from two holes in the ceiling illuminated the place quite well as water dropped down like rain. Patches of vegetation and grass could be seen around the corners of the walls, giving this area a surprisingly more lively and fertile feeling than the dark and damp paths they've been spelunking through so far. But what truly caused everyone's jaws to drop was something completely different.

In the center of the cavern there was a very large column with a strange object embedded into it. From far away it looked like thick black tentacles or smoothed out rocks going accross the column from top to bottom, with bright green lights running accross some of them. It was difficult to tell from affar but soon they were able to notice the black objects were composed of dozens upon dozens of hexagonal patterns like a honeycomb. A strange wave of energy kept pulsating from within it like a beating heart. It was almost as if the whole thing was a living, breathing organism.

"Wha...What the hell is that thing...?" Asked Alex with eyes as wide as plates.

"I don't know mate. Even I've never see one of these before..."

Not only Max, but even Jerico was shocked by this view to the point of almost having no words. And that alone served to emphasize that, even in this bizarre island, this was a rare sight indeed.

Everyone kept staring at the strange phenomenom until Max heard Wilson's chirping repeatedly and turned his head to look at the bird, only to notice it was not at his side right now.

"(Wilson?)" He asked before looking around him "Wilson? Where are you?"

"Hm? What's wrong, Dodo boy?"

"Wilson? Wilson!?"

Concern began to spread through the young man. The idea that the bird might have wandered off too far from his side and gotten attacked by one of the cave-dwelling creatures they fought earlier. This thought kept bashing the walls of his mind over and over again as he kept searching more hastily for Wilson before finally hearing his chirp again and turning around.

"Wilson!"

All the panic and worry washed away in almost an instant after seeing the Dodo was okay. Though in their place confusion set in conisdering Wilson was currently standing atop a slow-moving green beetle. And a rather large beetle at that, probably almost as big as Wilson if not slightly larger. And he currently seemed to be eating a brown substance Max felt like he recognized, but Max's true focus was on Wilson right now.

"Wilson...What are you doing?" He asked with an unamused expression before the Dodo chirped in response, causing him to sweat dropp "What do you mean by "He offered me a ride for a poop"?"

"Max? What's wrong?"

Alex, Lily and Jerico diverted their attention to the young man and approached him. Their faces showing a mixture of confusion and curiosity after witnessing the current scene taking place.

"A giant beetle?"

"Awww! It's really cute!" Said Lily with a glitter in her eyes before quickly giving the torch to Alex and taking out her sketchook to draw the large insect "Please hold onto this for a moment! I want to make a sketch of it!""

" _Fuck me dead_ it's a bloody dung beetle!" Said Jerico with an amazed expression while crouching closer "I haven't seen one of these in _years_ "

"Are they rare?"

"Bloody fair dinkum they are mate! These little shit-eaters are worth a fortune in the Golden Hesperonis!" Continued the cowboy-ish man with clear excitement in his tone, almost as if he had found some sort of treasure "They literally _eat_ shit, then _shit_ out fertilizer _and_ oil. And they can do it in a _quarter_ of the time that it takes a compost bin to do it."

"Wait, for real!?"

"Bloody oath!"

"Ewwwwww! That's not cute!" Said Lily, who found the idea of something eating feces disgusting yet only stopped sketching for a short moment before going back at it

"Cute? nah. Useful? Yeah" Responded Jerico "Even the most advanced farms out there only have a handful of the little critters because of how rare they are, and they keep 'em safer than their daughter's viginity. Heck, some people would _trade_ a night with their daughter for one of these"

"Wow...Sounds like they're really valuable..."

"Too bad I don't have Torito here. Me good ol' clobber could definitely cook me up a few "gifts" for this little critter here and get it to follow us back out of the cave"

"Couldn't we just take it with us and _then_ feed it...you know...that stuff?"

"As much as I'd like to take little poop-eater with us, I'm afraid that won't do. We might have to fight again on our way out, and it'd be much harder if we have to also keep an eye on it" He replied while putting on his hat again "It's a shame, but we'll have to let the little guy stay here"

After agreeing to leave the dung beetle roam free and Lily finished her sketch, the group kept moving. Wilson giving one last goodbye chirp to his new beetle friend before following after Max.

The cave-dwelling beasts showed themselves once more to attack during the way, but this time their smaller numbers made them easier to fight. Every now and then this occurrence repeated itself before they finally reached the end of the cave. And in it, they found not only even more of the pulsating alien-like technology, but also somethnig more. A strangely shaped object floating just a few centimeters over the floor. It glowed with a bright green light and emanated the same pulsating waves as the other objects, yet this one did so with more intensity and was not attached to any surface. And the closer they got to it, the more intensely the implants in their forearms began to beat.

"Is that..." Asked Alex, who had a vague idea of what this particular object could possibly be

"It is!" Responded Lily with joy. As the one who drew it, she could remember the shape perfectly well "It's an artifact!"

Jerico didn't say a thing, he simply whistled in surprise with one hand on his hat.

"We found one...We found one!" Said the sportsman as his shock was quickly replaced by joy and excitement "We actually found one of the artifacts! I can't believe it!"

"Miss Helena told me about the artifacts she found back when I was a kid, but I never thought I'd see one of them in person" Said Jerico with a somewhat humbled expression

"I can't wait to tell everyone at the Weathertop about it!"

Lily and Alex beamed at each other and were almost jumping from the desire to celebrate, but it was then that one single thought ran through the young woman's mind.

"Hey...Isn't it kind of big, though?" She asked while looking at the artifact and noticing it was literally almost the same size as them "How are we gonna take it to Weathertop?"

"That's...a good question. How do we do that?"

While everyone else tried to figure out what would be the best way to take the artifact with them, Max quietly looked at it. The beating feeling in his forearm made the time he encountered that giant plumbob-shaped object come to mind. In a way the artifact gave off the same feeling, making him want to try something out.

He took a look at his implant and then at the artifact once more before walking closer to it.

"Max?"

The trio quickly looked at him as he stood in front of the floating object and extended his left arm. To everyone's surprise and just in the way he expected, the implant on his arm began to glow in the same way as it did back then, and all it took was one look at it to open the interface.

"What the-!?"

"(If it's the same as before then...)" Thought Max while looking at the icon depicting the artifact and pressing on it with his index finger

In just a split second the interface closed off all by itself and the floating artifact got engufled in green light before exploding into millions of light particles that lingered in the air and spread out slightly before all of them quickly dived into Max's implant. The usually orange rim glowing green after absorbing all the particles for a moment or so before finally turning off and returning to normal.

Just to make sure, he opened the interface one more time and saw the icon appear on his interface.

"Hey, Max. What happened to the artifact?"

"It's in here..." Replied the young man after dissmissing the interface, then turning around to look at Alex and raise his left forearm to show him his implant.

"Inside your implant? How?"

"Huh...So it's basically like those loot drops that fall from the sky every now and then, but works the oppsite way" Said Jerico with one hand on his hip and the other on his chin "Whatever this stuff is, it's really crazy"

"But you can take it back out, right?"

With this question in mind Max opened his implant's interface once more and pressed on the icon of the artifact. This caused the same process as before to take place, except that this time all the light particles joined together into a much larger ball of light that suddenly expanded and transformed into the artifact that stood before them just a moment ago, but this time it appeared around a couple of feet in front of Max.

"Wow..."

"Woah! It's almost like magic!" Said Lily with awe

"Well, anyway. We already got what we came here for" Said Jerico while looking at Alex and Lily "We should hurry and go back to the Golden Hesperonis"

"You're right. I want to hurry up and show the artifact to Mister Nerrys and Olivia"

"You sure about that?" Asked Jerico while looking at him "I get the feeling that Sheila he's with might try to turn the artifact into a pile of nuts and bolts"

The cowboy-ish man's question caused Alex to look at him and sweat drop. He did not even consider that possibility up until now.

"Yeah...Hopefully the teacher will be able to hold her back from doing that" He responded with a somewhat notable hesitation in his tone "...Maybe..."

Just thinking about Olivia dissasembling the artifact was a rather worrysome thought, but the group decided to put it aside and focus on trying to make it out of the cave and back to the city with the artifact in one piece. After Max's implant absorbed it once more everyone made their way back through the caverns and eventually back into the plains.

On their way back, a shared feeling of victory spread out among them as they felt like they were finally making some proper progress towards their goal of finding a way out of the island and back to home. Little did any of them know, this was only the beggining of a long and grueling journey.


	12. Unwelcoming welcomes

**Hello everyone, your introverted potato writter here!**

 **First of all, thanks for reading "the Apex" up to now. I Just wanted to give you a quick heads-up I forgot to mention during last chapter that I will be doing some slight adjustments to earlier chapters.**

 **Due to some thinking through, I decided to alter what the implant is capable of doing in order to make things less videogame-like and more realistic. First of all, engrams won't be a thing that can simply be unlocked. The implant's only uses are to interact with the ARK technology such as supply Drops, the obelisks, artifacts, etc. And to keep track of the individual's physical state.**

 **So yeah, if you suddenly feel like something is different when re-reading earlier chapters it will be that. Hope you don't mind the litle change and keep enjoying it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as well and have a happy new year!**

* * *

With the artifact in their posession the group quickly made their way back to the Golden Hesperonis in order to show professor Nerris and Olivia what they found, hopefully being able to find some clue as to how they could find the other artifacts by inspecting this one more closely.

To Alex, Lily and Jerico it felt like a triumphant return without a doubt, but Max couldn't exactly share this enthusiasm at the moment. His mind was too focused on thinking about the artifact and the strange tentacle-like objects they witnessed within the cave as he walked down the streets.

Just who on Earth built such an abstract-looking yet incredibly advanced technology and with what purpose? This question kept bouncing within the walls of his mind. In a way he felt like the answer was staring at him right in the face, but he just couldn't quite put the pieces together. This thought process kept going on and on until he suddenly felt a shiver running down his spine, every hair of his body standing on end and his muscles tensing up.

"(Huh?)" He thought with eyes as wide as plates from pure shock

Max wasn't sure how or when, but he suddenly felt something lurking right behind him. Breathing down on his neck like a predator right before pouncing towards his unsuspecting prey and tearing off its neck with a set of razor sharp teeth or like a snake creeping up his back and wrapping itself around his neck to strangle the life out of him.

In a split second he pulled out his dagger and turned around while stepping away from whatever was behind him to take a defensive stance, only to see no one at all. There were people walking along the street that were coming from behind, but none of them were even remotely as close as he felt earlier.

"(...What was that just now...?)"

The young man quickly looked at all direcctions. His body sweating profusely, his breathing faster than usual and the grip on his dagger so tight one could almost hear the wooden handle crackling from the pressure. Yet there was no signs of whatever caused that reaction just now. Almost as if whatever tried to sneak up behind him just faded away like a ghost.

The stares of those passing by were steadily increasing, but he was too focused to even notice them. Though the same couldn't be said about the trio.

"Max? What's wrong?" Asked Alex after him and the others turned around to look at him, yet got no response "Hey, Max...Are you okay?"

Max kept looking with a piercing gaze at his surroundings before finally taking a deep breath and putting his dagger away while taking a more neutral stance.

"No...It's nothing" He replied before turning around and heading towards the trio. His mind still wondering what that sudden sensation was all about as they walked down the streets.

But even through all of his thinking, Max failed to see the cloaked individual hidden away in an alley less than a foot away.

"(Hm...A bit too jumpy, but not too shabby either)" Thought the individual with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face "(Guess there's a few good ones among the mix this time around)"

After that short stop mid-way through, the group returned to the inn where they met with both Nerrys and Olivia who were already waiting in anticipation for their arrival. The five of them then headed up into the room they rented out, all while sneaking Wilson upstairs, to show them the spoils of their spelunking trip, making sure to close the doors and windows to keep anyone from spying on them.

"Alright then, no one should bother us up here" Said Nerris with his arms crossed but an interested expression"let's see this "artifact" of yours..."

Alex nodded to his request before turning his head to look at Max. The young man then proceeded to enter his interface and spawn the artifact inside the room in an open space the others prepared by pushing the beds aside.

The moment they saw it, the professor's cigarette nearly fell right off of his mouth with the way his jaw dropped and Olivia literally almost jumped at it like a jaguar as she quickly approached it with utter excitement.

"No way! What is this amazingly hard machine!?" She said while moving from one side to the other, looking at it from every possible angle before beginning to touch it and feeling its metallic surface. All the while doing so with a starry, child-like gleam in her eyes "I can't tell exactly _which_ type of metal it's made of, but this is definitely an advanced type of alloy! Maybe even a superalloy! And those glowing lights definitely don't seem to be simple neon decoration either!"

The engineering student's reaction was a clear sign that they found quite the thing, but it was when she pulled out her screwdriver that Alex and Jerico were quickly forced to stop her.

"Hey, hold on! I was in the middle of something here!"

"You can't thinker with the artifact, Olivia! We need it intact!" Said Alex while holding onto her arm

"Oh, come on now!" She said while struggling to reach for the artifact "Just one piece! Just one tiny little piece! I swear I'll put it back the way it was when I'm done!" Replied The mechatronics student with her stare still focused on the artifact

"No can do, Sheila. Can't use this sucker if you turn it into a pile of nuts and bolts" Asserted Jerico while pulling on her

Despite being nearly as thin as Lily Olivia had a surprising amount of physical strength. So much that Jerico and Alex combined were having to put a fair amount of effort to keep her at bay.

"Well this is quite the find, isn't it?" Stated the chemistry professor after finally snapping out of his shock and taking the cigarette between his fingers "But I'm really glad you kids made it back alive..."

"Mister Nerris..." Said Alex after turning his head to look at him. A part of him thinking that maybe he wasn't such a bad teacher after all.

"I mean, If you kids had died in that cave then all that gear I stole would have been for nothing!"

A short moment of silence took place as everyone save Olivia looked at Nerris, who seemingly cared more about his own curiosity than the lives of his students.

"(I was right. He's not a bad teacher)" Thought the sportsman while looking at him "(He's a terrible teacher...)"

"So you _do_ admit you stole that stuff then science guy?" Added Jerico while looking at him

"Either way I have to say I'm surprised" He continued while looking at the artifact this time and completely ignoring Jerico's question "I imagined you'd find something in that cave, but never thought it'd be literally one of those artifacts you were looking for"

"Yeah, we were really surprised as well"

"Huh? How strange..." Said Olivia, causing those within the room to divert their eyes to look at her

"What's wrong?"

"I can't find any screws or even a single nook and cranny in this object. And the spots that are glowing, they feel soft to the touch, almost as if they were made of some type of flesh-like material" She explained while pressing her finger against one of the soft spots between the metal where green light glowed

"Wait a minute...So this thing isn't actually a machine?"

"No, it is a machine. Or at least it _should_ be a machine"

"What do you mean by that, sheila?"

"I studied enough about metallurgy to be able to tell this hard material is definitely some sort of metal alloy, but I have no idea which type it is. And I have no doubt the energy that makes it hover and glow like this is some form of advanced electricity system, but I don't feel any wiring below the sillicone-like material and that humming sound doesn't feel like a fan either, at least not one I know of. Not to mention the materials are embedded so perfectly together it's almost like flesh and bone" Explained Olivia as the duo let go of her "Whatever method they used to manufacture this device, it's definitely way more advanced that anything we have in today's society...If anything, it feels more like some sort of mechanic life-form rather than a machine"

Everyone quietly looked at the artifact with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, as well as once again getting plagued by that ominous feeling.

"Whatever it is, this thing sure looks like it'll be important down the line"

"Mister Nerris is right, there's no point in sweating the small details" Said Alex while looking at those around him "What matters is that we managed to find one of the artifacts. Right now we need to figure out how to find the rest"

"Easier said than done, mate. We stumbled into this sucker out of pure luck"

"I wouldn't say it was simple coincidence or luck" Interrupted the chemistry professor "The rumors about the cave being cursed, the strangely coordinated and increased hostility from the overpopulated cave-dwelling creatures, those strange black tentacles pouring out from the walls and even the fact you found the artifact at the very end of the cave. If you think about it for a second, it would make sense to think it was placed there on purpose by whoever made the obelisks and put us in this island, and maybe the others could be found under similar circumstances"

"So you think the other artifacts could be hidden in caves too?" Asked Alex while thinking about the professor's words "I mean, that would make sense but this island is huge. There could be dozens of caves all over the place"

"True, but there's still ways to reduce the numbers down even further" Replied Nerris "All caves can be inhabited by dangerous animals, but the ones we're looking for have an unnaturally larger and more hostile population than it should be possible for their habitat. Something like that will surely cause rumors made by those living in the surrounding areas and spread aroung by travelling traders"

"In other words, just follow the cursed cave rumors" Said Jerico with one hand on his chin "Can't say it's gonna be a piece of piss to tell true from false, but it definitely could work"

Tracking down the artifacts trough rumors circling around the island was not the most precise or time-efficient way, but choice was not a luxury the group or any of the other students had at the moment and Alex knew it.

"I guess there's no choice then. We'll just have to go with that for now"

"Your group, your rules mate"

"In that case, let the information gathering within the city to me" Said the chemistry professor "The weapon's store gets more than its fair share of caravan bodyguards. I bet I can try and squeeze some info about the rumors circling through the island out of them"

"Then on the meanwhile, we'll go back to the Weathertop to tell Angela and the others about what we found" Replied Alex before looking at Lily, Jerico and Max "What do you guys say?"

"Yeah, let's do that" Answered Lily with a smile "I'm sure everyone's gonna be really happy when we show them what we found"

The young man didn't reply. He didn't exactly seem pleased with the idea of going back there, but he didn't show any attempt to reject it either. Hopefully this meant he wouldn't do anything reckless or unnecesary.

"You mates don't mind if tag along, do ya?"

"Jerico?" Asked Alex while looking at him with confusion "We don't really mind, but why?"

"I wanna see what kind of sheila that Angela girl is like if she can boss a bunch of guys around" Explained the cowboy-ish man "Maybe we can even strike up a trading deal. I reckon getting in touch with traders can be bloody hard for a new tribe"

"Oh, that makes sense" Replied the sportsman "(I didn't think too hard about it until now but he _is_ a trader after all. It makes sense for him to try and get dibs on trading rights between his group and someone else's)"

"But what about that meat you got for Torito?"

"It's all good art girl. We can just drop-by the shack on our way to your place"

"Well, if that's the case then I can try and introduce you to her" Said Alex with one hand on the back of his head

"Rippers!"

Now with their next move decided Alex turned his head to look at Max who understood the gesture and was quick to store the artifact back in his implant. But this didn't go without getting the attention of the chemistry professor.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask this but are you sure it's a good idea to have _him_ be the one carrying that thing to the Weathertop?"

"Eh? Why not?"

Nerris looked at Alex's confused expression for a moment or two before closing his eyes and lighting up another cigarette.

"No, nevermind..."

The sporstsman kept looking at him with confusion for a moment longer before everyone packed up to leave and went downstairs. Once there, the group noticed things were more lively than earlier. It seemed as though a group of five people dressed in black chitin armor were celebrating at the moment, cheering and drinking. They were causing quite the ruckus, though nobody seemed eager to approach them despite looking at them, some even trying their best not to get caught looking. The guns and melee weapons they were carrying being the most likely reason for this. On closer inspection, there was a white sillhouette that seemed somewhat similar to a raptor painted on the back of each armor.

"Boy, that's a rowdy bunch" Said Olivia while looking at them

"Who are those guys?" Asked Alex

"They're a mercenary group. I think they were called "The black Raptor company" or something like that" Replied Nerris

"Oh yeah, I heard about them before" Added Jerico after suddenly remembering the name "Just another bunch of armed diggers. But after their new leader got in charge they suddenly turned into a pretty big deal. Even the folk over at the monkey business house hire them now"

"Last I heard, they've got over two hundred members on their roster"

"So a mercenary company, huh...?"

"Better keep our distance, mates. They're a bunch of dipsticks, but It's best not to mess around with them"

"No need to tell me twice. Let's get out of here"

As the group silently headed towards the exit they crossed paths with a man coming in from outside. One that was dressed just in the same way as the other mercenaries. It initially seemed like there would be no issue as he ignored Alex and walked past him but things quickly took a dangerous turn as he eyed Lily and stopped her by placing his hand on the doorframe, cutting off her escape with his arm.

"Well aren't you a mighty fine looking woman?" He said with a confident smirk "How about you join me and my boys for a drink?"

"Eh? Me?" Asked the confused young woman while pointing at herself "Erm...I'm sorry but I don't like to drink"

"That's okay too. Me and the boys will do all the drinking. You just keep us company"

"N-No, I don't really-!"

"Hey, man. She's saying she's not interested" Said Alex while taking hold of the mercenary's arm "Just let her go already"

The man simply turned his head to look at him before giving him a sudden surprise punch right on the gut, blowing the air right out of Alex's lungs and causing him to stagger as he placed both hands on his belly while coughing.

"A-Alex!?"

"No one asked you, chump. Fuck off or I'll shoot ya little prick off" He said with a rather rude tone

At the same time, Jerico quickly hurried to check on the sportsman while helping him get up.

"Hey mate! You okay!?"

"Ye-Yeah..."

"Wa-Wait! Please let me go!"

"Hey, you guys! Look what I got us!" Said the mercenary while quickly wrapping both arms around the young woman, catching the attention of the other men gathered at the table "Some good piece of fun!"

"Cap'n!"

The captain of the squad began to drag the struggling Lily closer to the table as the others got up from the table to get a good look at her

"Oh ho! Cap'n, you got a pretty one this time!" Said one of the mercenaries

"She's got some pretty big knockers too!" Added another one

"No! Let me go!"

"Hey, you guys! Knock it off!" Exclaimed Olivia while quickly heading towards them in an attempt to help her friend

Unfortunately, her fist got easily dodged by the captain before he released one arm from Lily and instead wrapped it around the blue student's neck.

"Woah there!" Said the captain with a smug tone as he captured a second one "Look at that boys! We got another woman! And this is a feisty one!"

" _Now_ we can have a real party, eh cap'n!?"

"Damn right we can!"

"I don't wanna party with guys like you! I'm the type of girl that's into machines more than dudes, you know!?" Argued Olivia while struggling to break free "Besides, you guys smell awful!"

"Da-Damn it! Stop that you assholes!"

Alex was about to rush in at the mercenaries and force them to let Olivia and Lily go, but he was quickly stopped by Jerico and Nerris.

"Hold it, mate! Don't just rush in!"

"He's right. Those guys have guns, remember?"

"So you want me to just sit here and watch!?"

"Never, mate. Those mongrels got me cranky too, but if we just jump in and start a bingle without a plan then shit's gonna go south faster than a slick head running from a bunch of raptors"

"Then what do we do!?" Asked the sportsman

While the trio was figuring out how to help the two women, Max looked at the scene taking place with no interest whatsoever before turning around and heading towards the exit. Or at least he was plannig to until one of the Black Raptor mecenaries asked a concerning question.

"Huh? Is that a Dodo?"

The young man quickly turned his head to look behind him after hearing one of them mention a Dodo and saw they were indeed looking at his fluffy ally. The bird pecking on the captain squad's leg repeatedly as an attempt to force him to release them. Though he could certainly feel the beak, it hardly did any noteworthy damage to anything other than his pants.

"Mister Fluffy bird?" Asked Lily

"The fuck's a Dodo doing in here? This dumb-ass duster broke out of the kitchen or something?" Questioned the captain while looking down at the Dodo with confusion before pushing it away with his leg "Come on! Fuck off, you little shit!"

The moment Wilson was roughly pushed away by the mercenary's leg Max pulled out his dagger and dashed forward without the slightest hesitation. Lunging his weapon forward with both hands to stab him in the back of the neck, but the mercenary was quick to notice the attack and moved aside. The dagger barely missing both him and Lily, only partially cutting through his cheek and leaving a scar. Right after that he extended his leg to kick Max in the back and forcing him to topple over the table. Wooden jugs and plates falling to the ground around him as the table fell down.

"Woah!? What the hell!?"

"Hey, Cap'n! You okay!?"

The squad captain touched the cheek where Max's dagger left a cut and twitched before moving them away and looking at the bloodstain on them while clicking his tongue.

"You bastard! Wanna die!?"

"Don't touch the bird..."

"Huh!? Wazzat!?"

"I said..." Said Max after getting up, then quickly turning around to attack once more "Don't touch the bird!"

One of the mercenaries quickly pulled out his gun but this was blocked by their captain who tossed both Lily and Olivia at them.

"You boys keep them still, I'll deal with this chump" He said while guarding with both arms and taking an orthodox stance.

"Max wait!"

Despite Alex calling out to him, the young man paid it no heed and kept swinging his weapon at the man. Though this didn't even faze the mercenary who calmly dodged the sharp edge and retaliated after the fifth swing by grabbing his wrist, hitting him on the side of the abdomen and then going for an elbow right to the back of the neck the moment Max bent down, the swift combination knocking him down into the floor again.

"What? That all you've got!?" He said before kicking the young man while he was in the ground

Max slowly got back up on his feet, but he wasn't even allowed a chance to retaliate as the squad captain quickly gave him a knee to the gut followed by a left hook to the face.

"Max!"

Alex quickly headed towards the two of them but stopped dead on his track as one of the black raptor mercenaries placed his gun against Lily's head.

"Woah there! Don't try doing shit now eh!"

"You asshole!"

At the same time, Max kept getting relentlessly beaten up. Blood splattering out of his mouth and nose, the world around him spinning as he struggled more and more just to keep his footing. Every time he tried to fight back another combination of fists would make him stagger, and even when he managed to throw out a slash of his dagger it would easily be avoided and countered.

"Oh fuck me dead, this is definitely a no-hoper" Said Jerico while looking at the one-sided fist fight "That bloke ain't like the half-assed raiders you see out in the wild or the nasty chompers. He's a trained digger"

The trained hand-to-hand combat style of the squad captain made it more than notable he wasn't just a fool who liked to swing his fists around like the average raider. Max was hardly able to do a thing against it and he knew it. Nonetheless he kept getting back up. No matter how many times he got downed he pushed himself back up and lounged at his adversary once again. Even if his whole body ached he would still get back up, no matter how much he bleed he would not admit defeat. Never again would he simply lay down and take a beating without putting up a fight.

"Hey, Max! That's enough already! Stop it!"

"He's right, Dodo boy! That bloke's gonna kill you!"

Despite everyone trying to convince him to stop Max didn't even flinch while getting back up on his feet and glaring at the mercenary. Needless to say, this was notably irritating to him.

"Bloody hell, this guy is stubborn" He sight with an annoyed tone before rushing towards him once more "Fine by me, I'll just beat yout till you stop breathing!"

With one thrust the squad captain delivered a left hook, then a right hook and finally a front jab that pushed Max back. This time making him hit against the counter and falling down once more as he laid on his rear with his legs extended and arms floppy. His back pressed against the wooden counter. One jug full of rum toppling and spilling out, the liquid flowing off over the edge and pouring down over his head.

The group of black raptor company mercenaries began to laugh at him while their captain walked closer and closer until a sharp feeling of pain in his leg stopped him.

"Ouch! What the hell!?" He said while quickly looking down at his leg and seeing the Dodo from before bitting down on his foreleg again, this time with a lot more strength than before and making sure to make it hurt.

"(...Wilson?)" Thought the young man while looking at his companion, his vision blurred from the beer that got spilled over him and the swelling in his right eye.

"That hurts, you fucking bird!"

The mercenary swiped his leg off of the Dodo's beak and proceeded to swiftly kick it hard enough to make the bird lift off from the floor and get tossed away. It flew past Lily while releasin a cry of pain which echoed through the hall as a handful of feathers got plucked off from the impact. All of it as Max watched it with widened eyes.

"Wilson!" Cried out Lily "Please, stop it! Don't hurt Wilson"

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Questioned Alex with clenched fists

"Shut the hell up or you're next! All of you!" Argued the captain while walking up to Wilson and stepping on its body "What's with all the bitching anyway!? It's just a dumb, useless Dodo!"

The young man stared at the Dodo as it laid down motionless on the ground under the captain's boot until one of the feathers landed between his legs. His eyes focused now on the one feather as blood dripped off of his face and fell down on it, the clear brown turning red and losing its shape as it got stained with it.

It was at this moment that something within him got triggered. The world around him began to distort and fade into darkness as well as all sound being drowned out by the sound of his own heartbeat. As he looked at the people yelling and arguing, their voices became incoherent ravings like static from radio and theirs faces became distorted to the point that they ceased to look like people, instead distorting and changing in horrifying ways. The eyes became pure white and the mouths bent into crooked grins. The people around became dark sillhouettes with grinning, nightmarish faces while the one in the center retained a bodily form yet it's face was the most notable one. Just in the same way as Amelia's face did back then, his face was a condescending one. Pure white eyes that never ceased to look down at him from high above with sadistic contempt and a crooked grin that did nothing more than empahsize just how much joy it brought her to watch him down on the ground like an animal.

"I'm gonna make me a new pair of pants with this thing's hide!"

"No! Stop it! Leave Wilson alone!"

"St-stop struggling, bitch!" Exclaimed the black raptor mercenary that held onto her while trying to keep the struggling young woman from breaking free "What's your problem anyway!? It's just a damn Dodo!"

"Cap'n! Look out!"

The squad captain took out his knife to skin Wilson, but the warning of his fellow caused him to look back at the counter. It was then that he saw Max heading towards him and tried to get him away with a swing of his knife, but the young man avoided the blade by lowering his head and quickly took a hold of the man's shoulder before inmediately using his dagger to stab him right in the armpit. Blood splattering and staining the hide of his armor darker with blood as the stone blade pierced deep into his skin and cut through flesh and vein alike, a cry of pain coming from him as he staggered while taking a couple of steps back.

"My-My armpit! I'm gonna kill you, you son of a-!"

Before he could even finish his threat, Max let go of the dagger and quickly took hold of a wooden chair before swinging it at him and hitting him overhead. The chair hitting so hard it broke against his upper body and shattered into many pieces, one of which Max picked up from the floor and used to stab him right in the side of his left knee. The painful feeling of jagged and shattered wood breaking his ligaments forcing him to fall into the ground yelling in pain. He quickly tried to reach out for the revolver on his belt but the young man pulled out the dagger from his armpit and quickly used it to stab him right over the Adam's apple before he could even finish wrapping his fingers around the wooden grip.

"Ca-Cap'n!?"

The squad captain gaggled and struggled to breathe as blood began to pour out from the wound in his neck and mouth. A few bullets firing out of the gun as his twitching finger kept jerking on the trigger while his eyes looked directly at the young man's vicious, almost feral glare as he picked up one of the chair's shattered legs with his other hand and hit him in the face with the flat end, then lifting it up high and relentlessly hitting him again and again and again. The black raptor mercenaries, Alex's group and all the other people within the inn looked with shock and horror at the scene taking place.

The sound of blood splattering, flesh being torn and bone shattering echoing as Max kept brutally bashing the wooden leg against the man's face without any hint of hesitation or pity. Even after he died and even his body ceased to twitch in response, he did not stop. It even reached a point where his nose began to carve into his head with each hit, digging deeper and deeper until all that remained was a blood-stained pitch black hole. By the time he finally managed to stop himself the face was already severely malformed and broken to the point where it was barely even recognizable as a human face. His hands stained in so much blood the piece was slippery and difficult to hold onto, so he instead let it stuck inside the captain's skull.

Some of the people watching from a distance grew pale or terrified while others even felt sick and vomited, yet among them there was one who was unflinching in the face of this grisly scene. This individual looked at Max, not with fear or disgust as all others did, but with attentiveness and fascination.

"Hey...Cap'n? Cap'n!?" Asked one of the black raptor mercenaries while looking at the now cold and lifeless body, then taking a step back as soon as Max got up on his feet. Blood dripping down from his fingers into on the floor "Eh!?"

The young man looked around before turning to look at the man holding onto Lily, then slowly but steadily walking towards him.

"St-Stay away! Stay away or I put a hole this bitch's head!" He said in a panic while holding the gun closer to the young woman's temple, yet this didn't seem to even bother Max, who kept going as if nothing was said "Stop...Get away from me! Get away!"

The mercenary could feel his heart beating incredibly fast, fear paralyzing him on the spot before he quickly aimed his gun at Max and opened fire. But his shaky aim caused the bullet to miss and fly inches away from his head to hit the wall instead, yet the young man wasn't fazed at all by this.

"No! Don't shoot him!" Yelled Lily while letting go of his forearm and trying to move the gun's aim away

"Wh-Why you bitch!"

It was during this struggle that Max got closer, close enough to touch the mercenary by lazily extending his arm. But the shock and fear were quickly rendered into a pure blank after he simply walked past him and Lily, heading instead for Wilson who was laying on the floor a short distance behind them.

"Huh?"

Everyone looked at him as he kneeled down to look at the Dodo in utter silence, then began calling out to him.

"Wilson..." He said with unnerving calm "...Hey, Wilson...Wilson...Wilson..."

The young man kept staring at the bird for a moment longer before Wilson suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Max, then got back up on it's feet and shook it's head from side to side as if to shake off the drowsyness.

"Wilson...Are you okay?" Asked Max, to which he received a chirp from the bird in response "I see...That's good..."

Suddenly all the killing intent, all the viciousness coming from him had dissapeared. Almost as if the Dodo's well-being had flipped off a switch deep within him and snapped him back into reality.

While most stares remained focused on the strange scene taking place right now, some of the black raptor mercenaries finally snapped out of their shock and quickly went to aid their captain. But it was far too late.

"Hey, Cap'n! Cap'n!"

"He done killed him! That bastard's done killed cap'n!"

"Damn it!"

One of the mercenaries pulled out a gun in a fit of rage and aimed it at Max, but Alex quickly ran towards the guy and punched him right in the face. The expelled bullet going awry and hitting a few feet away from the young man. This bullet he seemed to notice unlike the other one.

It was at this moment that the others began to pull out their weapons as well to aid him in the fight. But their attention was quickly diverted to a green piece of bamboo wrapped in cloth on the middle that rolled into the middle of the scene before exploding into a bright light and a large cloud of smoke that spread all over the bar.

"Fuck me dead!" Cried out Jerico with widened eyes. One hand on his hat as he crouched just in case another stray bullet might get fired.

"Woah! What's going on now!?" Asked Alex

Chaos quickly spread among the customers and many of them didn't hesitate to turn tail and run away in a panic. During this short moment of distraction Olivia got a hold of her wrench and hit the mercenary holding her captive right in the forehead, then quickly tossed it at the one holding Lily. The impact more than enough to knock his lights out and make him let go of her.

"Yeah! That's my big and hard special 8" steel wrench for you!" She said with a confident smirk before picking it up "Good for screwing things up and pounding alike!"

"Everyone, hurry up and run! We need to get out of here now!" Yelled the chemistry professor.

With no other choice Alex and the others used the ensuing chaos as a chance to escape from the inn and leave the confused black raptor company mercenaries behind. The chaos spread even to the streets outside as many were still seen running away as fast as they could while the bystanders looked in utter confusion at the scene and some of the city's guards began to approach the scene.

"Don't stop running! We need to get as far as we can!"

"Wa-Wait! I can't run so fast!" Said Lily as she was starting to tire out

Once the group got a few blocks of distance from the inn/bar, they ceased to run and instead walked to avoid catching any further attention.

"Oh, damn it all..." Said Nerris while looking back "This is really bad"

"Bloody oath" Added Jerico "I reckon the Black Raptor company won't be all too happy about Dodo boy killing one of their mates"

"Shit, we need to hurry up and find somewhere to hide then!" Asserted Alex while looking around

"That won't do mate. The black raptor is a mercenary company. Those guys probably know heaps of shaddy folk that keep an eye on the streets for them. And I mean the type of shaddy wombats that sell their own mom for a root"

"So what do we do then?"

"Those dipsticks are not the full quid but they'll definitely remember Dodo boy and probably muscle boy too. I reckon best choice is to bail out of the city before word about you guys starts to spread around"

"I kept my distance during the whole thing so they probably won't come for me if I lay low for a while" Stated Nerris while looking at Jerico, then at Olivia "It's best if you leave with them, though"

"Hold the phone! Why do I have to leave the city!?" Questioned Olivia.

"Even if Max is the one they want to kill the most right now, they'll definitely beat all of you half to death to find him if they have to" Said Mister Nerris while looking at Max

"But I don't want to leave the city! I mean, there's no machines outside! zero! Nada! Just a bunch of plants and animals!"

"You're forgetting about one important thing, kid" Interrupted the professor.

"About what?"

"If you go with them, you can stay close to the artifact 24/7"

The blue student looked at her chemistry professor for a moment or two before turning around to look at Alex and Lily with an excited smile

"Alright team! Let's bail this city!"

"That was a quick change of heart..." Said Alex while sweat dropping.

"Anyway. If nothing serious happens in a week or two I'll try to see if I can convince the owner to let you work at the store again" Said the chemistry professor "Also, I'll see if I can dig up any rumors about cursed caves while I'm at it"

"You sure you want to stay, bloke?"

"Yeah. It'd be wrong of me to try and run away when I could do something useful for my studetns in this place"

"Professor..."

"Besides, It'll be a heck of a lot easier to pay for food and rent without a second mouth to feed!" He added with a smirk.

A short moment of silence took place as everyone looked at him and sweat dropped.

"(This guy would definitely be a much better teacher if he only knew how to be a little less honest with what he thought)" Thought the sportsman while sweat dropping

With their plan decided the group headed for one short stop by the market for Jerico to pick up the meat he bought before quickly heading out for the west exit.

"Well, I guess here's where I should be on my way now" Said the professor while turning around and walking away while waving his hand lazily "You kids make sure to take care out there now"

"You too, professor!"

"Take care, Mister Nerris!"

"Hey, teach!" Said Olivia, catching his attention "We're still going to work on that multi-flare gun together when I get back, right!?"

The professor looked at the engineering student while taking a small breath of his cigarette, then grabbing it with his fingers and making a smug smirk at her.

"Damn straight we are, kid. I'm way too lazy to do it alone"

As one who smiled often it was hard to tell, but his answer made Olivia quite happy. Though this wasn't all he had left to say as his eyes quickly diverted towards Max. The blood on his hands mostly washed thanks using some water from Alex's bottles, though few stains were still notable here and there.

"(And don't you go getting killed either...)" He thought to himself while the young man looked at him, then turning his head forward and walking away "(You might be a shitty student, but you're still one of my shitty students)"

And with that farewell, the group made haste to leave the Golden Hesperonis. Though in everyone's minds lingered the feeling that this wouldn't be the last visit they'd pay to this city.

* * *

*Scene*

After leaving the Golden Hesperonis in a hurry the group took a couple of hours to make their way back to Jerico's treehouse base in order to inform the others about their findings and for Jerico to explain his desire to go visit the Weathertop with Alex's group in order to see if he could make room for any trading opportunities with Angela's group. And of course, to give Torito the special gift he got for him, which just as expected was received with great excitement by the small flyer.

With that now out of the way everyone began their journey south, traveling for at least an hour or so before stopping at the edge of the Redwoods to take a short rest and plan the path they would take to reach the Weathertop.

"Going through the swamp during nightime is like slapping your nuts on a rusty as beartrap, so we'll circle through the river instead" Explained Jerico while pointing at the mass of water in front of them "If that base of yours is where you said then we'll barely make it before nightime but it's a bloody safer choice"

"So we're swimming our way through, huh?" He replied while looking at the river

"Hey, hey! You guys! Check that thing out!" Called out Olivia while pointing with excitement at the red obelisk "I heard the obelisks were huge, but this is waaaaay bigger than I thought!"

"And they're even bigger up close too" Added Lily

"Ohhhhh boy! I'm just dying to see what it looks like up-close!" She said before turning to look at Alex and Jerico "Hey, you guys don't mind if we take a little stop by the base of the obelisk, right!? Just teeeny tiny stop and that'll be it, I swear!"

"Sorry, wrench girl. No can do" Replied the cowboy-ish man while looking at her "Not enough daylight to burn for that"

"Man, you guys are totally no fun..."

"It's okay, Olivia. Maybe we can visit it tomorrow with Angela and the others. I mean, Angela said she wanted to see it too so maybe we can all go together!"

"Hmmmm...Well, If you say so Lily then I guess I _can_ try to wait a tiny bit longer..."

"Thank you!"

Lily hugged her friend while the two men looked at them, then looked at each other again.

"Guess that's friendship for ya" Said Jerico while looking at the two and placing one hand on his hat "Guess we won't need to worry about wrench girl going A-wall with Art girl around"

"(Friendship, huh?)" Thought the sportsman while looking at them before suddenly realizing something "By the way, where's Max?"

"I saw Dodo boy heading that-a-way a short while ago" He replied while pointing at the direcction he saw Max leaving with his thumb "Probably went to stock up on some H2O or to heed the "call" of nature"

Alex looked at the direcction Jerico pointed at for a moment, wondering what Max went all the way there to do.

Meanwhile, the young man himself was crouched on the edge of the shallow river next to a waterfall and sunk his hands deep into the water to wash them. Scrubbing over and over again with his fingers in an attempt to wash the small stains of leftover blood. While looking at the red strings flow away before spreading and fading into the water Max thought about what he did. Even when recalling the sunken and deformed mess that he turned that man's face into he could hardly feel a thing at all. Was it because of what he did to Wilson or simply because he himself was starting to get used to the act of killing other people? Even when the act was done in such a grisly way?

Even when thinking about it, he could reach no answer. There was no guilt, no shame, no disgust, nothing at all. Just that he did it and that was all there was to it. Yet there was a sense of unease he just couldn't shake off.

This time he focused on his reflection instead. His face was bruised and slightly swollen from the beating he got. The bleeding from his mouth and nose ceased though the wounds were still clear as day to see. And when touching his face with the tips of his fingers, even when doing so gently, his face ached with a burning sensation.

"(It hurts...)" He thought while looking at his beaten up face reflected on the water "(This won't do...)"

This time Max truly cut it close to the wire. He barely won more out of luck and good timing rather than anything else. But he couldn't keep relying on something so random and he knew it. In order to protect Wilson and himself he needed to become much, much stronger than he was right now. Yet this was easier said than done. And it seemed as though the Dodo could see the unease and frustration reflected in his expression since it decided to approach him before pressing his head against his arm.

"What's wrong, Wilson?" He asked while turning to look at the bird, which then chirped in response "No, I'm okay. Just feeling a little tired"

The young man tried to dissmiss his current train of thought and focus on the here and now. One way or the other he would find a solution to this problem, and right now the only thing that mattered was to keep Wilson safe. As long as he protected both of them, he would eventually find a way for the two of them to leave the island. But for the time being, he decided to instead focus on stacking up on water now that he had the chance.

He opened up his bag to pick up some of his water bottles before suddenly noticing there was something else inside. A blocky, dark green device literally even bigger than the bottles and with two black tubes on one side along with a antenna-like protusion on the top. Four knobs decorated the left side with a series of numbers engraved around them ranging from one to nine. It was heavy to hold and on closer inspection looked quite similar to the walkie talkies used by soldiers on the old war movies.

"(What the hell is this?)" He wondered while looking at the radio and turning it around before noticing a piece of paper stuck on the back

The paper had the numbers "three,eight,two,nine" written on it vertically along with the words "Pull antenna, turn knobs" written on the bottom.

Max alternated between looking at the note and the radio before trying to pull up the protusion placed on the top and seeing come off to reveal a thin, retracted antenna. Slowly he pulled on it and heard the sound of static coming from the upper tube, yet that was all he heard, even after a minute of waiting. This time he looked at the vertical row of numbers and began to turn the knobs so the white lines painted on each one would point at the written number in the same order as it was on the paper note. The static slowly distorting and going from louder to quieter before finally ending on steady silence.

"About time you called. I was starting to get bored over here" Said a man's voice from over the radio. A deep, rough voice that felt like rubbing sandpaper.

The young man was surprised by this. He did imagine he would hear something when tunning into the noted frequency, but he didn't expect an almost inmediate response.

"Let me guess, you're wondering how the radio got into your bag and who's this stranger talking to you right now. Well...You'll get to know in due time"

Max heard the voice speak on, yet his eyes focused on looking at his surroundings. If this individual could respond so fast then that meant he was probably keeping a close eye on him right now and was somewhere close by.

"Don't bother looking around for me kid, you're not gonna see me unless _I_ want you to see me..."

A cold sweat ran down his back as the stranger shot down his search almost right away. The fact he was being observed right now and was utterly unable to even figure out wheter this indivual was looking at him from far away or just a few feet induced a severe feeling of anxiety. Almost as if he was traped in a cage with a snake that he couldn't see, but could still feel it crawl up his body and wrap itself around his neck in preparation to strangle him. Yet this feeling of being hunted was a familiar one. A feeling similar to the one he felt before.

"(This guy. Is he the one I felt sneaking behind me on the street earlier?)" He thought while breaking a cold sweat

"I have just one thing to ask, kid..." Said the voice over the radio, taking a short pause before finally asking "Do you want to get stronger?"

The question caused Max to stop looking at his surroundings and instead look once again at the radio with intent.

"I saw what you did back there...I saw you and your friends jumping into that cave and getting the artifact..." He continued "That's not something any group of average Joes can pull off..."

"What do you want?"

"I want to make you a little offer...A deal of sorts, if you'd rather call it that" Said the man on the radio "If you're interested, tune in to this frequency again and call out to me. I'll make sure to be there"

"Max? Maaaax? Where are you?" Asked Alex, his voice distant but slowly approaching

The young man turned his head to look in the direcction of the sportsman's voice while the man on the radio kept speaking.

"You've got until midnight. Give it some thought, will you?"

With that deadline given the radio went silent before a clicking sound was heard followed by the sound of static. The stranger seemed to turn his radio off. After looking at it for a moment longer and hearing Alex's voice calling out to him again Max quickly retracted the antenna and hid the radio away inside his bag.

"Max? Are you there?" Asked the sportsman once more while moving aside the vegetation, finally spotting him after a few moments "Max, there you are"

The young man turned to look at him as he approached before being within arm's reach.

"What is it?"

"No, it's nothing really. I just wanted to see if you were doing okay"

"I see..."

"So...what were you doing?"

"Getting water..."

"Oh, okay then..." Replied Alex while looking at him. The short and rather monotone answers he received making the conversation feel abnormally awkward "(I guess he still doesn't feel like talking to me, is he?)"

The sportsman couldn't help but feel more than just a little bit dejected by this cold shoulder treatment, but he couldn't really complain about it considering everything that happened between them. The visage of Max's bruised and swollen face didn't help to make him feel any better either. Despite being right there, Alex failed to do anything until nearly the very end. All he did was watch him getting beat up, yet he didn't try to do anything.

"Hey, Max...Look dude, I've been meaning to tell you something..." He said while looking at his friend straight in the eye, struggling to find the right words to get his apology accross "You see, I'm-"

"We should get going..." Interrupted Max while walking past him

"Huh?"

"It's gonna be a long walk to that place...Better not waste any more time..."

"Ye-Yeah. I guess you're right" Replied the sportsman while looking at him walk away "(He really doesn't want to talk with me yet after all)"

Alex sighed and walked behind the young man until the two of them reunited with the others and set off once more. Swiming accross the river for a short distance before reaching the other side and venturing across the coast. Due to attempting to avoid the swamps Jerico guided the group around the forests and beaches. It took notably longer than simply going in a straight line and they even had to cross a river mouth on the beaches of the island but the cowboy-ish man kept insisting it was far safer than having to risk the swamp route.

In truth it made the others wonder just what sort of danger lingered within swamps that weighted so heavily on Jerico's mind, yet considering he was far more experienced at surviving against the island's fauna than all of them combined it was safe to assume he probably had a good reason for it.

The sun began to grow closer and closer to the horizon along with the clear blue skies slowly turning orange. The worry that they might have to camp out in the open lingered in their minds for a short while before finally reaching the plateau. From there onwards it was Alex's turn to be the guide.

"Huh...So _this_ is where your mates made their base?" Asked Jerico while looking around at the plains and rocks "Gotta say, that takes nuts to do"

"Why?"

"I reckon there's lots of space for building a base in this place, but lots of those speedy chompers tend to pop around here too for some reason. Hence why most folk never try to build around here or move elsewhere after a while"

"Speedy critters? Ah, you mean the raptors" Replied Alex while looking at him, then sweat dropping with a weak smile "(Well, It's not like Angela and the others knew about that when they made their place...)"

"Then again, I guess it's as good of a starting place as any to settle down if you don't mind them nasty as raptors trying to pounce on your nuts all the time. Lots of water and lots of critters to hunt too"

While Jerico thought about the resources in the area Alex looked at the fields around him. It must have been only a week or two since he set out for the red and blue obelisks yet it felt like a much longer amount of time passed after everything that happened. In a way he didn't even know how to explain all of it to Angela of if he could even properly explain it at all. Hopefully Rick did part of the job for him and kept the blue flower in the loop, leaving only the events that took place after they went their sepparate ways up to him to explain.

"Alright, we should be there any moment now" Said Alex while looking back at the group, then looking forward again

The first thing to become visible in the distance was the wall of wooden spikes. Yet this one was spreading at a notably larger distance than the one he saw when he left, and the amount of spikes seemed to have increased as well. In the gap between spike walls there were two people on each side, both of them dressed in ragged blue school's uniform and armed with a wooden spear and bows, along with a makeshift quiver filled with arrows. One of them was a male and the other a woman, the latter being one Alex and his group recognized as Milly.

Once they approached the two students guarding the entrance were quick to react by taking hold of their spears, though they didn't show any agression in their stance, or at least the male student didn't.

"Oh, it's just you guys" Said the redheaded student without sounding all that surprised or glad about seeing them "I was wondering when you'd show up"

"Yeah, nice to see you too" Replied Alex with a hint of sarcasm in his tone

"Whatever" She replied with a rather lackluster tone before looking at Jerico "And who's that?"

"His name is Jerico, he's a friend!" Answered Lily

"Howdy" Greeted the cowboy-ish man with a friendly attitude "Since you knew we were coming that probably means the little sheila and Sailor boy made it here okay, right?"

"Yeah, they did" Replied Milly while looking at him, then at Alex once more "I guess you guys want to see Angela too, right? Come on, I'll take you to her"

And without even waiting for a reply she turned around and walked past the entrance while the group looked at her.

"(I didn't expect a parade, but a more friendly welcome would have been nice you know)" Thought the sportsman while sweatdropping

"Shrewd, and here I thought Dodo boy was the one with an attitude" Said Jerico with one hand on his hat

"It's probably that time of the month for her?" Asked Olivia with a pensive expression while placing one hand on her chin as everyone looked at her while sweat dropping, including the other student on guard duty "Guess she probably didn't bring any tampons on the trip..."

"Well, let's just go meet up with Angela for now" Said Alex

Everyone agreed with him and followed the redheaded student into the base save for Max who chose to remain outside with Wilson. To the sportsman and the young woman's surprise the inside had a few notable changes as well. The inside was more spacious than before and the structures of thatch seemed to have been reinforced with more bamboo along with now having even doors and windows made out of the same material, they also noticed two new structures of thatch were made. One being about half the size of the rooms used by the students to sleep in while the other was placed more closely to the center of the base and was about the size of a small shack. Due to the specific placement Alex had the feeling this was where they would find Angela.

Truly enough his prediction came to be true as Milly calmly approached the shack and knocked on the bamboo door that opened after a short moment, revealing the blue flower. The expression on her face being initially one of confusion as she looked at her fellow student, then changing into one of surprise and finally of joy upon seeing Alex and the others.

Without even the slightest hesitation she was quick to welcome them and let the group go inside. Within the walls they found a pair of chairs and a table with quite a few sheets of paper neatly piled up.

"It's not much, but please try to make yourselves comfortable" She said while walking in front of them, then turning around to face the group. Her gaze focused mostly on Jerico "So, who is this man?"

"He's Jerico. He helped us out back in the redwoods, and also when visiting the Golden Hesperonis"

"Oh, so he's is the man Alice and Rick told me about" Said the blue flower while looking again at him

"Ye, that's me alright" Replied Jerico "Pleasure to meet ya, blue girl"

"Blue girl?" Asked the blue flower with a confused expression.

"Ah, right. Jerico likes to give people nicknames" Informed Alex to her in order to clear the confusion

"Hope ye don't mind. Kind of a habit I picked up as a tyke"

"No. It's okay, I don't really mind the name. I was just a little surprised, that's all" She replied to him with a smile before looking at Olivia "I also see you found Olivia"

"Yeah, she was working at a gun store with the chemistry professor" Said the sportsman to her

"Mister Nerris is alive!? Where is he!?" Questioned Angela with surprise notable both in her tone and expression "Also, what do you mean by "gun store"?"

"Well...It's a long story..." Noted Alex while sweat dropping with an exhausted expression

The sportsman then proceeded to tell Angela everything that happened since the moment they left the Weathertop up until the moment they returned and made sure to leave out no detail about their findings in regards to both the obelisks and the artifacts. The blue flower paid close attention to each and every word that was said.

"I see...Looks like you guys had quite the trip, didn't you?" Noted angela after hearing about the group's struggles

"Yeah, you can say that again" Replied Alex as he sweat dropped with a smile and his eyes closed

"Life ain't easy on this island, that's for sure" Added Jerico

"But to think there's such an inmense amount of people living in the island, and that they even formed fully functional societies already..." She stated with surprise with a pensive expression and one hand on her chin "Just how advanced are these societies, exactly? Would they be tribal or more modern?"

"Depends on each group, but most small tribes tend to be tribal and then advance as they grow in strength and number" Addressed Jerico "Medium and medium small tribes are usually well-versed enough to have fancy stuff like armor and guns while the bigger boys have some real crazy shit like assault rifles and even industrial gear"

"Yeah! The place I was in had this crazy amount of heavy machinery! Multi-use industrial machines they call "fabricators", generators with fully laid out electrical grids, chemical labs and I even saw a few industrial forges after sneaking into one of their factories! I bet they even have entire production and assembly lines in the factories of the upper city!" Added Olivia with notable excitement in her tone as she listed the machinery she could find

"That's right! And the golden Peperonis-"

"-Hesperonis" Interrupted Alex and Jerico after hearing Lily mispronounce it

"-That place had these _really_ _huge_ trees, and they all had these big platforms with lots of stuff built on it!" Asserted Lily with a similar excitement to Olivia's "It was like a castle from an elven city like the ones you see in fantasy-"

"A castle!? An elven city!?" Blurted out Angela right away while placing both hands on the young woman's shoulders. Her voice denoting ample excitement and a glitter in her eyes like that of a child who just got told Santa dropped his christmas presents "Was it really like an elven city!? Did it have a guild!? Adventurers!? Classical medieval musicians!?"

"Eh? I'm not really sure about all of that but I made a sketch of the city" Replied Lily, who was a little surprised and confused by the sudden outburst of emotion

"Can I see it!? I promise I'll be gentle!"

The blue flower kept insisting to see the sketch of what she imagined was a magical elven city before finally seeing the confused looks of those around her and quickly snapping back to reality. The embarassment clear as day on her blushed face.

"A-Anyway! Wheter it is or looks like an elven fantasy city or not isn't important right now. What matters is that we're not the only ones on the island!" She stated in an attempt to divert the subject before suddenly coming to realize something "Hold on a second. If the technology and structure these "tribes" have is so similar to the one you can find in modern society, then why has no one ever tried to build a ship to leave the island? Or at least try to build a radio and contact the outside world?"

"I heard lots of folk tried to do that, but neither works because of the giant bubble" Replied Jerico

This time everyone turned to look at jerico before asking the same question at nearly the same time "Giant bubble?"

"Don't know the nitty gritty of it, but there's this huge as invisible wall circling the entire island and covering it from top to bottom like a giant bubble" Explained the Cowboy-ish man while recalling the rumors he heard "Apparently it blocks out all radio signals and is also hard as diamonds, so you can't put a dent in it even if you use a shit-ton of c4 or ram it headfirst with a giant ship

"A giant invisible bubble...A dome?" Stated Alex with utter shock "Are you serious?"

"Are you absolutely sure about this bubble being real?" Asked Angela as well just to make doubly sure he wasn't making things up.

"Yeah. I heard it from all the aquatic tribes I met. Heck I even saw the damn thing myself" Replied Jerico with a notable conviction in his tone "Can't notice from the shores but you start seeing it after going balls deep into the ocean. Damn thing is huge as ball, and I mean _huge as balls_! Had like a million of those little panels you see in them beehives in it and a freaky weird as glow dancing around it like a pack of jelly on a water jar but felt hard as steel when I touched it. Real creepy shit that thing, I tell ya"

"Extends over the entire island...Has beehive patterns...A glittery glow..." Muttered Olivia to herself with an inmersed expression before her eyes widened "No way Jose..."

"Olivia?"

"It's not just an invisible bubble or wall, it's a force field!" She said with utter excitement while getting up on her feet

"Hey, I do recall one of me mates calling it that too" Added Jerico "Bit of a quirky guy with his ufo and bigfoot and aliens and goverment conspiracy theory shit, that guy, but he looked like he knew his stuff"

"I can't really tell if it's an actual forcefield or not without seeing it myself, but if his description is precise then that's the most likely explanation for it!" Explained the mechatronics student with one hand on her chin.

"Okay. Assuming this force field is real, how would it even manage cover the entire island like that?" Asked Alex this time

"I'm not really sure, but maybe it has something to do with those obelisks" Theorized Olivia "If my idea is correct, then they might be the ones powering or even forming the force field itself"

"That could explain why they're spread out all over the island like that" Noted the sportsman

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Asked Angela with notable worry, knowing that the blue students would certainly not take the news very well

"Well if the obelisks are the ones powering up the dome then turning them off might do the trick" Answered the student "As for _how_ you turn them off, I'm not so sure"

"Maybe that's what the artifacts are for" Hinted Alex "Each obelisk we went to had a list of artifacts, so maybe they're some sort of key that we can use to deactivate the obelisks"

"And if we deactivate all three obelisks, the force field will go down!" Continued the blue flower, who was sounding more motivated by the second "Wait...But how do we find the artifacts?"

"We already have one of them" Answered Lily

"Wait, for real?" Asked Angela with a surprised tone "Where is it?"

"Max has it on him" Replied Alex this time "Or rather, his implant...It's kind of complicated, but the point is that he has the artifact right now"

"I see..."

"Angela?"

The blue flower's tone when being informed of Max's possesion over the artifact changed to a notably concerned one. Her expression seemed to dwell into worrysome thoughts as well.

Those around her were quickly able to notice this sudden change and it didn't take long before Jerico questioned her about it "Everything okay, blue girl? Ye looking a little pale there"

"Ye-Yeah! Sorry about that...I just got a little worried for a moment there..."

"It's all good blue girl, Dodo boy is a though nut to crack. He'll keep that fancy artifact safe" Assured Jerico while giving his vote of confidence in Max's skill as a fighter "Or maybe...You ain't all that comfty with Dodo boy having the artifact?"

"No, that's not it..." Replied the blue flower with a hesitant tone. Her eyes lowered and unable to look at Jerico's "I know you guys have your reasons to trust him and I want to trust him too but..."

Angela tried to properly explain the concern that plagued her mind yet no words would come out. Or perhaps she just couldn't bring herself to say them. Either way her time to asnwer was cut short by Alex.

"Hey, how about we go ask Max to show you the artifact?" He asked to her with a confident tone "I'm sure you probably want to see it"

"Alex..."

Angela couldn't help but give the sportsman a concerned look, yet this didn't faze Alex. She was getting a faint idea of what was going inside the sportsman's mind, yet she couldn't share his confidence.

"It's okay, Angela. I already thought about this" He continued to her "If we let everyone here know that Max helped us get the artifact that can get us back home then I'm sure they'll give him a chance! I just know they will!"

No one said a thing this time, they simply looked at him. Each one with different thoughts yet all of them sharing the feeling things might not work out the way he hoped.

"Come on! I'll ask him to show you the artifact!"

Without even waiting for a single moment Alex opened the door and headed to the front entrance where he knew he would find Max while the others followed behind him.

"Lily!"

"Eh?"

On their way to the front entrance Lily was caught by surprise as Alice suddenly ran up to her and hugged her tightly by the waist.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Said the little girl with a relieved tone while pressing her head against the young woman's belly

Lily looked at her for a moment or two before beaming at her and placing one hand on top of the girl's head to caress her hair gently

"I'm glad you're okay too"

"Good to see you guys made it back here okay" noted Rick with a relieved expression while walking towards Lily and Alice, then looking at Alex and the others "Where are they going, though?"

"They're gonna show Angela the artifact thingy we found" Answered Lily

"Wait, you found one of the artifacts!? For real!?" Asked the sailor with eyes as wide as plates "Where is it?"

"Max has it" She replied

"You can't be serious..." Said Rick before sighing "Damn it, Alex"

The sailor quickly went after Alex and the others, then Lily and Alice broke out of their hug to follow after them as well. By the time the trio caught up Alex was already talking with Max to convince him of showing Angela the artifact, which he did after a long moment of hesitation and quite a fair bit of convincing from him.

The visage of the green artifact suddenly forming itself into existence didn't only shock Angela to the point of growing speecheless but pretty much everyone in the Weathertop that saw it happen. Some of the students quite literally froze up on the spot and ended in rather awkard or funny poses.

"Wha...What on Earth is that thing?" Asked the blue flower after finally snapping out of her trance

"This is the artifact" Replied Alex while turning his head to look at her, then to look at the artifact again "As for what this thing actually _is_ beyond that name, none of us is sure. All we do know is that it's one of the artifacts"

"This...thing...Is it even man-made?" She questioned as the word "alien" kept floating inside her mind.

This time she received no answer, only the humming sound of the artifact as it hovered for a moment or two longer before Max stored it once more inside his implant, the whole process being as shocking for her as it was for all the other students.

It was after the alien-like contraption dissapeared that the blue students who witnessed it began to approach the group and make one question after the other. And to answer all of them Alex promptly told them everything they discovered about the obelisks and the artifacts plus the conclusion they reached with Angela and Olivia.

"A force field covering the entire island? Are you serious?" Asked one of the students

"Hey, hey. This is real life, not a sci-fi movie you know?" Said another one as he struggled to accept what he was just told as a reality "There's no way something like that can be possible!"

"Even though ye can see those huge as floating towers all the way from here and just got an eyeful of a mini-version just now, ye guys still think that's bullshit?" Asked Jerico while pointing at the red obelisk with his thumb

"Tha-That's..."

"I'm telling ya blokes, it's true. I swear it on me old clobber Torito's nut-chompers" He continued with a confident tone

"He's telling the truth. I once read online that some university students discovered it could be theoretically possible to create and maintain a plasma field similar to the Earth's ionsphere through a combination of specialized magnets and a powerful enough energy source" Asserted Olivia "I'm still not fully sure how this technology works but if the obelisks were to act as a sort of power converters then it would be possible to create and maintain a force field large enough to cover the entire island"

"And that's where the artifacts come in" Added Alex this time "If we manage to gather all the artifacts and take them to those towers, we might be able to create an opening somewhere or even deactivate the entire thing! And after that all we need to do is call for a rescue or make a ship sturdy enough to sail the ocean all the way back home!"

A short silence took over after the sportsman's statement for a few moments before the idea managed to sink in. Hesitation quickly turned to confidence and in turn gave room to motivation and cheer.

"We can go back home! There really is a way to go back home after all!" Marveled one of the students with great joy.

"Thank goodness! I was so worried we would be stuck on this place forever!" Added a female student who was on the verge of tears from how relieved she felt in the face of these news.

"Hold on a second!"

Among the glee that everyone felt there was one who, despite sharing that same relief, soon found the mood overshadowed by a sudden realization that everyone else seemed too joyful to notice, and she made sure to pipe it as soon as this thought became present.

"If those artifacts are so important to get back home, then why is _he_ the one carrying it around!?" Asked Milly while pointing at Max and looking at him with a strong detest in her eyes

"Wait, what?" Asked Alex with a confused expression

"I'm asking you, why is the _most undependable person_ here the one _carrying around_ the only way we have to get out of this crazy place!?" Questioned the red-head once more, this time making a much more clear emphasis on what truly bothered her the most. Her finger still pointed at the young man in an incriminating manner as if he was guilty of some crime "For all we know he could run off with the damn thing and leave us stuck in this island forever!"

"Hey, hold on a second! How can you even think that!?" Questioned back the sportsman

"That's right! Max wouldn't do something so mean!" Added Lily

"Did you two already forget how he didn't move a single finger to help us against those lizards the other day!? Or how he sliced someone's hand in half!?" Snarled Milly "How do you know he won't just let everyone die or just try and kill someone again, huh!?"

"Now that she mentions it, he didn't do anything while they stayed at here with us either" Added one of the blue students "All he ever did was hang around the rocks outside in the grasslands"

"Yeah, I remember too" Asserted another student "What the hell! He was doing nothing while we were al working our asses off!"

"No, wait! that was-!"

"And what about when we were running out of food too!?" Interrupted another one "How do we know _he_ wasn't the one stealing food back then after all!?"

"Wa-wait! That wasn't him!" Quickly interjected Sally before growing hesitant "That was..."

"That was no one's fault!" Proclaimed Angela to get the attention focused on her "I already explained the food shortage was because part of it began to rot away! There was no theft involved!"

"Even if that's the case, everything else about him is true!"

"That's right!"

"We don't want him here! All he ever does is make things worse!"

"Face it Angela! Everyone here knew he was messed up in the head ever since he stabbed that upperclassman back in first year, but now he's an even bigger danger to everyone here than those monsters!" She Argued while looking at the blue flower. Her constant accusations and those of the other students not allowing any chance to retort "Or what!? You think I didn't hear you guys inside that hut talking about all the people he killed during your little tirp around the island!?"

"Wait, killed people?" Asked one of the students "What are you talking about?"

"I heard them talking inside the hut about how the island is actually full of people all over, and how that guy has been killing left and right non-stop!" She answered while pointing at Max

"You do realize manslaughter and self-defense ain't quite the same, right?" Asked Jerico while looking at her. His expression not angry or violent, but not all that amused by her accusations either "Can't exactly talk your way through things when the other side starts shooting arrows and pointy as sticks at you, ya know?"

"You shut up! This is none of your business!" Snarled Milly

"Kick him out of here before he kills us all! We already have enough problems with the monsters out there!"

"He's dangerous! He can't stay here!"

"Wait, please! If it's about killing, then me and Rick too! We also-" Tried to argue Alex before being suddenly cut once more by the students

"I always knew you were just a damn murderer!"

"(Eh?)"

"They really should have tossed you to jail or expelled you back in first year after all!"

"(What the hell?)" Thought Alex with confusion and disbelief as he looked on at the students yelling nothing but insults and accusations at Max "(Everyone was so happy just a moment ago...So why?)"

From cheer and glee to anger and lynching. The sportsman was struggling to understand just how things could swing from one side to the other so suddenly and so brutally just from one simple detail. It was then that the question made by the chemistry professor began to echo within his head once more.

"(Are you _sure_ that's a good idea?)"

This question kept echoing inside his head over and over again before at long last he realized the unnerving truth about the blue students. The thing that Nerris, Angela and probably even Max himself knew perfectly well from the start.

"(They don't just dislike him or hate him, they never even accepted him as one of them to begin with...)" Thought Alex with a look drained of all hope, finally understanding just how the blue students truly viewed Max in their eyes "(To them he's no different from those monsters outside the base...)"

A cold sweat ran down Alex's back as his skin paled. His plan to help Max be accepted by his classmates ended up being nothing more than him leading the young man right into the wolf's mouth. This train of thought froze him in place until it was broken as a stone flew just inches away from his head and hit Max right in the face.

"Get out of our base, you murderer!"

"Max!?" Exclaimed Lily and Angela while quickly turning to look at him

"Big brother!" Added Alice while quickly squeezing from within the crowd and hurrying to him, though when the two women tried to approach him he stepped back.

"Hey, Max!?" Called out Alex while turning to look at him to check on his wound "Are you okay!? Let me see!"

"Hey, who the hell tossed that!?" Snarled Rick while looking at the crowd, though the only thing he received in return was a stone tossed at him from the back of the crowd that forced him to lower his head.

"Fuck me dead!"

"Woah! That's dangerous, you know!?" Exclaimed Olivia while avoiding the stones "Didn't you guys ever hear about injuries caused by stone peltings!?"

"Stop! Don't toss stones!" Demaned Angela, though it didn't stop a stone from emerging randomly from within the crowd "You people, I told you to stop! Hey!"

"Wait a second! Isn't this a little overboard!?" Asked one of the female students

"She's right, this is a bit excessive!" Added a male student next to her

"Shut up! Do you guys want that murderer in our base!?"

"Get out of here, you crazy bastard!"

"Yeah, we don't want you here!"

"Leave the artifact and buzz off!"

The students kept yelling at Max while tossing stones, though none managed to land on him since they either went too far and flew away, too short and landed on the ground nearby or were blocked by Alex. One that he failed to block and nearly hit Max in the head was instead blocked by Jerico as he used the stock of his crossbow as a makeshift shield.

The stones constantly flying through the air as Max opened his eye and saw the blood staining his palm. The warm blood pouring out of his eyebrow and running down the side of his face. But it was when one of said stones smacked Wilson that his anger snapped, and this became as clear as day in the way he glared at the students.

The angry shout turning into fearful shrieks as they saw him push Alex away and walking towards them with his dagger unsheated.

"Eeek!?"

"Oh shit, he's coming here!?"

"No! Get away!"

"Someone help me!"

"Help you!? _You_ guys were the ones tossing the stones!"

"Hey, you tossed one too!"

The students constantly argued among each other, some quickly backing up in a panic while others pushed those they blamed for the stone pelting to the front where most of the students were quickly taking hold of their spears and hatchets to protect themselves, though this didn't seem to discourage him from getting closer and closer. Some even tried to shoot arrows at them but not one of them hit even close as their aim was quite terrible and the shaky hands didn't exactly help them very much.

Among all of them Max aimed for Milly's head first as she was the one in the front of them all.

"Ge-Get away from me you maniac!" She snarled while holding tightly onto her spear. Her fingers shivering like a washing machine and her tone notably terrified "I'll kill you if you get any closer! I swear I will!"

"Max, wait! Stop!" Called out Alex but his voice went by unheard. He could recognize that glare as the one he did back at the Golden Hesperonis and knew blood would spill by the gallons unless someone stopped him "Please, I'm begging you Max! Just stop!"

Rick quickly got out of the way and Jerico didn't even try to stop the young man and instead kept both Lily and Alice back to avoid getting caught up in what he imagined would be a gruesome scene.

But it was in the middle of this tense situation that Angela quickly stood in Max's way as a last ditch attempt to convince him from wiping out the Weathertop.

"Hold on! I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for what they did but please don't hurt them! They're still your classmates!" She cried out while placing both hands in front of her.

"Angela!?" Exclaimed Sally, Lily and Milly at the same time with widened eyes.

Despite the flower's attempt to persuade him he didn't seem any less furious. The young man kept steadling approaching her. The blood dripping from his eyebrow and running down the side of his face before falling into the ground. A trail of red being marked in the soil as the distance between the two of them became smaller and smaller. This visage made the blue flower feel a shiver running down her spine and a horrible fear that soon enough she would be the one staining the ground with her own blood. Angela felt like all she could do right now was prepare for the worse, or at least she did until Max was suddenly stopped by none other that Wilson, who quickly ran towards the young man and bit down on his left sleeve before tugging as hard as it could.

"...Wilson?" He said while turning his head to look at the bird then listen it chirp a few times before looking once again at Angela.

The blue flower was drenched in sweat and notably scared, but her expression paled in comparison to the terror of the blue students just a short distance away from her. All of those eyes looking at him in utter terror, fearing him just in the same way as they feared the monsters that roamed the island. He could only bear these stares for a short moment before lowering his eyes. During this moment Angela was able to see his expression more clearly than anyone else, though it didn't last for long as he turned away.

"See, Wilson? I told you this would happen..." Muttered Max with such a low voice that she almost didn't hear it "...It's what always happens..."

"Max?"

Without saying another word the young man put the dagger back in his belt and walked away. He walked past the entrance and past the group who could only look at him walk away in silence. Wilson following behind as he got further away before Alex finally snapped out of it and went after him. Shortly being followed by Alice

"Alice, wait!" Called out Lily while chasing after the little girl

"You two! Don't just run out there! It's dangerous!" Yelled Rick while chasing after the two of them.

"Welp, guess I'll be on my way now too" Said Jerico while turning to look at Angela "Not much daylight left so I need to get ready to camp out"

"Wa-wait! You don't need to-!"

"Appreciate the offer blue girl, but I'd rather do me some good as camping if ye don't mind" He replied to Angela's attempt to offer him to stay before turning his back on her and walking away "You're an alright sheila but I can't say I'm all that comfy around here. Joint feels more like a cage than a base to me"

"Yeah, people here are kind of a little bit of a bunch of jerks" Added Olivia "Besides, there's no machines around here and I wanna stay close to the artifact so you know...priorities!"

And with this the cowboy-ish man the mechatronics student walked out of the base to follow after the group while Angela and the blue students looked at them leave. Later that night everyone camped a short distance outside the base near a few rock formations to serve as cover from the chilly winds of the night while also making the campfire's light harder to see for any possible raptors that might roam around during nightime.

Shortly after everyone fell fast asleep and guard duty was givent to Rick, Max stayed awake to sharpen his weapons and prepare a few extra arrows to replace the ones he used up during in the cave and on the way back to the Weathertop. The cut on his eyebrow no longer bleeding or bothering him anymore. At this point it hardly mattered considering just how much a mess his face was already.

Once he had enough arrows to fill his quiver again the young man thought about going to sleep for the night until he opened his backpack to get something to drink and saw the radio again. His eyes carefully examining the communication's device as he picked it up before looking up at the sky. According to the voice he had until midnight to give him an answer and, though he had no watch or phone to tell with total exactitude, that deadline seemed to be getting pretty close already.

He still wasn't sure about the voice in the radio but his words still echoed in his head. If he could indeed learn something useful to become better at fighting to survive and protect Wilson then he had to take the risk.

With this in mind he turned the knobs in the radio back to the frequency from before and approached the radio to his face for a moment before finally speaking.

"I'm listening..."

* * *

*Scene*

The following morning after their arrival to the blue base and subsequent departure from it to camp outside everyone woke up one after the other to eat, with Rick being the first one. Jerico, who woke up much earlier than the others due to guard duty, was already sitting next to the campfire with a few pieces of meat cooking over the fire.

"Good morning sailor boy" Greeted the cowboy-ish man while looking at him.

"Good morning..." Replied Rick with a yawn before sitting down close to the campfire "Everything calm last night?"

"Yup" He answered while putting in some more firewood to keep the flames going

"I'll admit, I was half-expecting that red-head from the Weathertop to try and raid us with a few others while we were sleeping" Added the sailor while placing one hand on his head "Guess they were too scared of that guy ripping them appart to even try"

"Or blue girl talked them out of that idea" Asserted Jerico while looking at him, then at the meat again "That sheila might not be as trusty of Dodo boy as muscle boy, but she's the last one that wants to see us and her blokes killing the shit out of each other"

Rick looked at him for a moment while giving some thought to what he said. Angela's attempts to persuade others from relying on violence certainly proved invaluable to keep the blue students from killing each other back during their first few weeks in the island, it would make sense to imagine their peaceful night of sleep was also thanks to her persuation.

"Yeah, that does sound like something she would do" He replied while grabbing one of the sticks impaling the cooked meat and taking a bite from it "But man, yesterday was a total mess"

"Bloody oath mate. Things sure went up shit's creek in a barbed wire canoe" Agreed Jerico as he took a hold of a stick as well and bit down on his cooked meat "I figured Dodo boy's tribemates were not all that fond of him but that was some nasty as welcome they gave him, I tell ya"

"Yeah, that was just too much..."

Truth be told even Rick thought the blue students went a little too far with their attempted lynching. He certainly didn't like Max all that much but there was no denying the stone pelting was a callous thing to do, especially considering they showed little to no concern about Alex and the others when doing so. Fortunately no one got severely hurt or killed so at least there was that to be thankful about, hopefully the students would be a little more wary today and try to tone it down.

During this time of thought and quiet eating the voice of Olivia called out as she approached "Ah. You guys up and about already, huh?"

Both Jerico and Rick turned their heads to look at her and saw that not only her, but also Alice and Lily were awake.

"Good morning, y'all"

"Good morning" Replied Lily with a drowsy tone

The three women sat down around the campfire along with the cowboy-ish man and the sailor. Alice calmly picking up one for herself and one for the still half-awake Lily while Olivia didn't wait a second before picking up one for her own and chomping down.

"Sho, everetheng geed yah geys?" Asked the mechatronics student, though the food in her mouth made her words rather difficult, if not impossible to understand.

"Don't talk with your mouth full" Chided Rick while looking at her and sweat dropping "Also, we have no idea what you're saying"

Olivia looked at him for a moment before swallowing down the food on her mouth and asking again "So, everything good you guys?"

"Yup. Sailor boy just woke up earlier and we were talking about yesterday"

"Oh, man! Yesterday sucked!" Asserted the student with an irritated tone and expression "I was sooo pissed off when they started tossing stones at us! For a moment there I was about to pull out my long and hard 8" inch baby and give those stoners a good pounding!"

Jerico and Rick looked at each other before looking at Olivia again. They knew exactly what she meant but there was just something about the way she said it that felt oddly uncomfortable, yet neither of them felt like they should point it out for some reason.

"Right...Anyway, where's Alex? Is he still sleeping?" Asked the sailor in an attempt to change the subject.

"I think he went to check up on Max" She replied before taking another bite out of her meat

As Olivia mentioned the young man both Lily and Alice showed worrysome expressions. This didn't fail to be noticed by Jerico and Rick, though there was no need to ask the reason behind it. They already knew what was going through their minds, or at least had a pretty good idea of it.

The oppinions in regards to it were different for each person yet the question was the same. The only thing left would be to ask the question that circled through everyone's mind, and this was eventually done by Jerico.

"So, what's the plan now? Do we stay here or go on our merry way?"

Everyone remained silent at first but one after the other they began putting their own two cents.

"I don't wanna stay here anymore" Said Alice with her eyes lowered "Angela is really nice and I like her, but I don't like those other people. They're too mean"

"I think we should try staying here. At least for the time being" Declared Rick with no reservations whatsoever

"I agree with Sailor boy here" Added Jerico

"But-!"

"I get what you sheilas are thinking and I can't say I'm all that fond of those tykes after the welcome they gave us either but we're low on food and water" Intercepted Jerico, cutting off Lily before she could argue against the idea "Since we're here already might as well stick around a day or two to stock up while we can"

The young woman didn't argue against the idea but her worrysome expression made it clear she couldn't fully agree with it either. It was difficult for anyone to blame her, really. Yesterday's incident caused the already perilous relationship between Max and the blue students to become even worse and put all of them on edge as well.

It was very likely that even the slightest misstep could have cathastropic results. Unfortunately peace and quiet was the only thing that would not last for long today as Alex rushed to them from around one of the rocks surrounding them and quickly gave them urgent news of what he discovered with a panic.

"Everyone, Max is gone! I can't find him anywhere!" He said with a shaken up tone.

A mixture of shock and confusion spread among the group as they exchanged looks with each other before looking at him.

"You sure about that?" Asked Olivia "Maybe he went to drop a number 2 or something like that"

"I'm sure of it!" Answered the sportsman "All of his things are gone and I even climbed up one of the rocks to have a clearer view around the plateau, but he was nowhere to be seen!"

Olivia made a pensive face while making calculations in her mind before speaking up "I once heard that an average person can walk about 3.1 miles per hour. Assuming it's between eight to nine AM right now and that Max left between one and three AM while it was still dark then he's probably between 22 and 19 miles away"

"That's...far, right?" Asked Lily with a confused expression while looking at Olivia, then at Alice

"Yeah, very far!" Answered the young girl

"Oh no!" Replied the young woman

"Damn it! We have to hurry up and go after him!"

Alex quickly rushed up to grab a hold of his spear but stopped after Jerico called out to him.

"Okay there Muscle boy, first of all you need to calm down. Going crazy as balls ain't gonna help anyone" advised Jerico while getting a hold of his hat and standing back up on his feet "Dodo boy might not be a very charming as mate but he's no wombat either. Pretty sure he'll be fine even by himself"

"What are you talking about!? We need to hurry up and-!"

"Alex!" Interrupted the cowboy-ish man, this time addressing Alex by his name instead of the nickname he usually uses to emphasize this time he was being serious "Why do you think Max keeps running away?"

"What?"

"I'm asking ya, why do you think he keeps trying to run away from your group and stay as distant as possible from everyone? Is it 'cause he's got bad blood with these two sheilas? 'Cause you keep trying to justify everything he does by telling folks he's messed up in the head? Or maybe 'cause of what happened yesterday?"

Alex didn't say a single word, he simply let Jerico go on.

"One way or the other, the answer always boils down to a simple thing, really" Continued the cowboy-ish man before putting his hat back on "He just doesn't want to be with this group"

Silence remained dominant for a few moments longer before Alex finally spoke up.

"Wha-What do you mean by that?"

"I know you care about him, but dragging Max back every single time he tries to leave isn't gonna help. It'll only make him try even harder to leave until you eventually end up having to chain him down in place"

"That's...!"

"If you really want that bloke to be a part of the group, then you need to let him choose by himself. Otherwise he'll never truly open up to you or the others"

Alex lowered his eyes and remained silent as everyone else in the group looked at him with slight concern. The worrysome thoughts coursing through the sportman's mind clear as day in his expression.

"Then...What do I do now?"

"Easy peasy mate. Just stay alive!" Said Jerico while smiling at him "We still need to stock up on food and water so we'll have to stick around here for a few more days. Maybe if we're lucky he'll come back all on his own"

"But what if he doesn't?" Asked Alice this time

"Like I said, Dodo boy is a pretty tough guy so he should be fine even on his own" He asserted while addressing the little girl's question "And this island is big as, but not _that_ big as. As long as we don't kick the bucket we're bound to run into him again"

There was no response from the sportsman this time. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he knew Jerico was right. Every time Max distanced himself and even tried to leave, and every time Alex chased after him and dragged him back only for the cycle to repeat itself. Perhaps Jerico had a point, perhaps the best way to earn back Max's trust was not by keeping him in check but rather by placing some trust in him as well, trusting he would make the right choice and come back on his own or at the very least stay safe until they could meet again. With this in mind Alex decided not to chase after Max this time, though the hope that he would come back on his own was lingering strongly within his mind right now.

Meanwhile, at an unknown location far away from the Weathertop, the young man was slowly waking back up. A stinging sensation aching on the left backside of his neck and an odd headache.

"(Where...am I?)"

Everything around him was dark and hard to see but as his eyes slowly got accustomed to the darkness things became clearer. He seemed to be in a room of sorts, yet he wasn't sure how big or small it was as there were no windows or even cracks through which light could slip in. The soft and prickly feeling underneath him gave him the suspicion he had been sleeping on a thatch bed on the floor and the floor made a dry sound when firmly planting his feet on it, though when he was about to get up Wilson's chirp echoed within the room.

"Wilson? Where are you?" Asked the young man while getting up and looking around "Actually, scratch that. Where are am _I_?"

"Now that is not the _right_ question, boy"

Max quickly looked forward after hearing the voice but was quickly forced to shield his face with his arms after two blinding lights suddenly appeared and brightened up the room.

"(What the-!?)"

The lights blinded him for a moment or two before he was able to notice a silhouette between both light sources. At first it was sitting down but shortly afterwards got up and took a couple of steps closer, his appearance becoming much clearer now. It revealed itself as a middle-aged man with wrinkled and scarred tan skin. His hair was cropped and black in color, though spots on the sides and the scalp were grey-ish. His eyes were dark blue and he semed to be around a head or so taller than Max. He was dressed in dark green chitin armor but had pieces of cloth wrapped around his hands and forearms. Though the most striking feature the young man could notice was the metal prosthetic left fore-arm connected to the stump on his elbow through a leather harness.

The man looked at Max with a confident smirk before speaking up with his rough, deep voice. The same way it sounded like over the radio.

"The _right_ question here is...Are you ready to evolve?"


	13. The magma cave

**Note from Author 17/06/2019:**

 **Hello everyone. Hope you're doing okay today.**

 **Boy it sure has been a long time since I updated this story and I'm sure many of you are curious why. Well, to be honest I've been in a bit of a hiatus as of late. You can get the long and short of it in the discontinue notice from my other story but the long and short of it is that both College and work have been taking up most of my time once more and that the little free time I have nowadays is mostly spent on practicing drawing (Which I usually post on my other sites such as Twitter and Pixiv). Also looking back on it I now realize I may have burned myself out while attempting to write both stories at the same time. In the end I had to discontinue Blueflame Heart as I utterly lost all interest in the franchise that story was based upon.**

 **Nevertheless, ARK is still something I enjoy and I want to try and see this story through to the end. I can't promise frequent weekly updates as I do have other endeavors to focus on besides drawing but know that I am still working on this story even if not at the same pace I used to before.**

 **Anyway, sorry for the long rant. Hope you enjoy this chapter and have a good day!**

* * *

"Evolve?" Questioned the young man while looking at him, still feeling disoriented by his abrupt awakening and the sudden source of light aimed at him "Who are you?"

"What? Can't recognize my voice?" Asked back the one-armed man with one finger pointed at his mouth, a notably lax yet also confident attitude in his tone "I get it the signal wasn't all that good since it's kind of beaten up but I was still pretty sure you heard me speaking through clearly enough"

At first he was unsure of what the man meant but as he steadily regained focus and kept listening to him speaking, Max suddenly came to realize he was now looking at the man who talked to him over the radio yesterday. Though not exactly as he imagined him, there was no doubt it was him.

"You're the man I spoke with over the radio?" He asked, already expecting the answer yet still wanting to make sure.

"Yup. Good to see you're quick to catch up" Replied the man with a somewhat pleased expression.

"What is this place?"

"My home. Well, part of it really but who's splitting hairs here?" He replied once more "Just in case you're wondering, I hit you with a dart full of narcotics on the back of the neck then hauled you both here"

Upon hearing this Max quickly placed one hand on the back of his neck and a attempted to feel for a small puncture-like wound on the left backside, though he didn't notice any blood upon looking at his fingers again. Most likely meaning he slept for more than just a couple of hours.

"No hard feelings about it, yeah? By the way, the name's Alan"

Max glared at Alan for a short moment though he didn't act right away. Not only the lack of weapons he probably took away while the young man was unconscious and the clearly visible gun in his belt's holster, but the seemingly small room and focused illumination meant to partially blind him were clear attempts by Alan to put him in a disadvantage, or to at least keep him from lashing out right away. Not to mention his one good hand remaned relatively close to the gun's handle as he asked, solidifying the idea that one wrong move would defintely cost Max a bullet to the head.

"Max...Max Rockwell"

For the time being he decided to play along with the conversation. If he waited and remained calm there would most likely be an opportunity for him and Wilson to escape or retaliate if needed, not to mention there was still that tinge of curiosity about the question he asked him earlier over the radio.

It seemed as though the attempt to remain composed was noticed by the one-armed man, as he quickly smirked with a mixture of relief and joy. Though for a short moment there he noticed a small hint of surprise upon hearing Max's full name.

"Rockwell? Your last name's Rockwell?"

"What about it...?"

Alan remained silent for a short moment or two, seemingly deep in thought about something before closing his eyes and gesturing to brush it off with his prostethic arm.

"No, it's nothing. Probably just a coincidence...Anyway. Now that that's out of the way how about we get down to bussines?" He asked while turning around to flip a switch in the wall and making the whole room become illuminated by a lamp on the ceiling, showing a cell room made out of stone and brick with no windows "But first, let's go get you your stuff back"

Alan proceeded to turn around and open the door just a few steps behind him before looking back at Max over his shoulder while gesturing with his head at him to follow behind.

"Come on now, I'll show you around the place while we're at it too"

The young man didn't reply but did as he was asked and followed behind him alongside Wilson doing its best to keep up behind him, and after stepping outside the cell he saw a large cave-like area spread before him. The walls surrounding the place and floors as well were mostly natural rock formations. He could notice a few structures here and there, namely the most prominent one being a house-like structure made of cement with metal plates covering it here and there along with a couple more structures spread around the wide open area, though their stark design made him unable to figure out the meaning nor function of them. The room where he woke up in was nothing more than a small stone cage in comparison.

A few wooden boxes were stacked up or spread around the place and most of the illumination within the area came from lamps hanging high up on the ceiling. He could not see any inmediate exits in the vicinity. All exits, both man-made and natural, were most likely either blocked or hidden under heavy fortification to keep anyone from coming in or getting out.

Max's eyes kept going from left to right to take in his surroundings but tried not to make it too obvious by only making his eyes move and instead keeping his head facing forward. At the same time he also tried always keep an eye out for the one-armed man as he still didn't fully grasp his intentions yet.

"So what do you think? Not too shabby if I do say so myself" Asked Alan with a tinge of pride in his tone.

Once again the one-armed man received only silence from Max as a response, this didn't seem to anger or even irritate him yet it was clear he was a little bothered by this cold shoulder treatment.

"Not much of a talker, are you boy?" He questioned this time while sweat dropping with his eyes closed and head slightly lowered "I guess it's not that easy to be all chatty considering how we met. Then again, you and your friends made it through the cave so we can probably just work around-"

"They're not..." Interrupted Max.

"Huh? What was that?" Aksed Alan while quickly turning his head with slight surprise after hearing the young man speak so suddenly.

"They're not my friends..." Repeated Max once more, not looking at him in the eyes but speaking loud and clear enough to be heard.

Upon looking at him the one-armed man was quick to notice the young man's sudden change of expression. Up until now he remained wary and mostly quiet, yet now this changed. Though he tried to seem uncaring in both tone and expression his eyes betrayed a smidgen of desolation. Even when actively trying not to make eye contact by lowering his gaze.

"I see..." Pondered Alan, this time with a notably more serious tone than before, before finally facing forward once more "Though luck I guess"

After that short exchange the one-armed man approached the house-like structure and opened the fortified wooden door to get inside. Following behind him, Max entered and saw a room with a small table on the center and a couple of chairs, the table made out of metal while the chairs were built of wood with reinforced metal hinges, his backpack hanging from the back of one of said chairs. Decoration was mostly minimal save a couple of bookshelves with books or rolled scrolls of paper and chests resting on the shelves and a water jar with a flower placed in it over the table. There was also a wooden table, this one with a notable amount of small trinkets and parts scattered on top of it, along with a wooden chair placed on the corner close to the opened window. Max wasn't sure wether the parts belonged to a dissmantled Crossow, gun or other mechanical contraption but they were small and varied greatly between metal and wood. A few blueprints laid alongside the scrambled parts, though he didn't look at them for too long. One thing he did notice were the drawings of hands in them.

Part of him wondered if those were spare parts for his prostethic forearm or for some other project, but that train of thought was quickly stopped as he looked forward and suddenly got pushed backwards by his backpack as it flew towards him and forced him to catch it.

"There you go. All of your stuff is right there"

Max looked at Alan for a short moment before opening his bag and looking inside to check all of his belongings were still there. And true to the man's words, everything was where he left it. His wrapped meat rations, the half-full water bottles, the bag of berries he carried around to feed Wilson with and even his dagger.

"Now then..." Said the one-armed man before sitting down on the chair where the backpack was once hanging "Since you got your stuff back, how about you take a seat?"

Once again the young man was left to stare at Alan in silence. His mind analyzing him as carefully as it could while trying to choose how to proceed with the current situation. His lax behavior and seemingly careless actions made him wonder if this and the man who stalked him both in the streets of the Golden Hesperonis and the Redwoods were really one and the same.

"(This man...Can I really become stronger with him?)" Thought Max with a sense of hesitation and distrust, unable to understand his course of action and doubting wheter he could actually be the solution he needed or not "Yesterday you asked me if I wanted to get stronger, and then said you had an offer for me"

"That I did..." Replied Alan, still smug and calm.

"How do I know you weren't lying?"

A short silence took over, this time neither Max nor Alan spoke. The two men simply looked at each other in silence before the latter scoffed and then suddenly got up.

In a split second he dashed from his seat towards the young man, who quickly dropped the bag an held his dagger to fend him off. The moment Max attempted to slice at him Alan easily dodged the weapon and held the arm by the wrist before twisting it in a rather painful way. He then got behind the young man and kicked him in the inner knee, forcing him to kneel down before pressing his metal prostethic arm down on his shoulder and applying a large amount of pressure. The sudden shock of pain coursing through his arm causing the grip of his fingers to loosen up just about enough for the dagger to fall off to the ground.

In just a short moment Alan managed to effectively restrain Max in a wristlock and armlock combination, and all of it before the young man had any idea what just happened, let alone be able to defend himself past that one slash of his dagger. Even when attempting to release himself, the coursing pain froze him once again, and even without it Alan's iron grip made it impossible to slip past.

"I wouldn't struggle too much if I were you. Anymore pressure and your arm could get dislocated or even broken" Said Alan with such a cold and direct tone that it made a cold sweat run down Max's spine before suddenly regaining his somewhat lax tone from before "By the way, this is an armlock and wristlock combination commonly used in martial arts. Could've done it with my legs too _buuuut_ I always liked this one better"

The one-armed man kept Max locked in place for a moment longer before finally letting go of his arm and stepping back. Max as well was quick to get back on his feet and get some distance from him with one hand on his shoulder.

"So do you believe me now or do I need to do it with my legs this time?" He asked with his arms crossed before sitting down on one of the chairs aroud the table "If you do, then hurry up and sit down already"

Max didn't reply to his question, although Alan had the feeling he wasn't so hesitant about what he had to offer since it didn't take long for him to comply and sit down in the chair opposite to his, but not before picking up his dagger again and sheating it in his belt. The two of them now facing each other with Max sitting straight while Alan rested his metal arm on the table and leaned forwards slightly.

"Alright then. Now that we broke the ice I'll just get straight to the point" Stated the one-armed man "That thing I did just now? I can teach you how to do that and much, much more. All you have to do in exchange is help me gather the artifacts hidden throughout the island"

"In other words, you're just prepping me for the caves so I can fetch you the artifacts without dying along the way" Responded Max, at long last breaking the silence he kept while listening to Alan.

"I had the feeling you were a clever boy. Still, you can't tell me this is a bad deal" Replied the man "You were already hunting for the artifacts, so with this you get both the artifacts _and_ all the survival skills you'll need to kee both yourself and your bird alive in this island. Two birds with one stone!"

The young man gave some thought to Alan's point, which was indeed a sound one. Wether it was for hunting after the alien-like devices or to survive in the unforgiving jungles of the island, the skills he was willing to teach him were indeed worth considering.

"Also, I think I should tell you, that cave you had to fight like hell to get through? That was basically the easiest one in the entire island" Added the one-armed man, snapping Max out of his train of thought "The other artifact caves are far more deadly. So deadly, In fact, that in some cases entire tribes got wiped out trying to get to the artifacts"

"What makes you think I can do it, then?"

"The tribes I'm talking about failed due to how they tried to strong-arm their way through the caves or outnumber the beasts within it with tames of their own. Unlike them, I've got tactics, I've got ideas, I've got the resources. But most important, I've got all the information I need to prepare before-hand against each specific cave. The only thing I need is the manpower; Someone capable of pulling it off, and I believe that someone could be you" Explained Alan before pointing at Max when mentioning him in his plans regarding the caves "So...What do you say?"

Even after Alan further enchanced his argument Max took a moment to think about it. If the caves were truly as dangerous as he said then the chances of dying in the attempt were extremely high, yet there was probably no other way to break through the forcefield and escape the island than by gathering the artifacts and deactivating the obelisks. And most important of all, he had to become stronger in order to keep what happened back at that bar from ever happening again. Wether he could fully trust this man or not was a different matter, what mattered right now was that the chance had shown itself, and he would take it despite any risks that could be involved.

"I'll do it" He answered while looking at Alan straight in the eyes.

"Now that's what I wanted to hear!" Replied the one-armed man with a satisfied tone while smacking the table with his right arm and then getting up on his feet "In that case, I'll need you to hand over that artifact you've got on you. After that we can-"

"Fighting..." Interrupted Max

This sudden word made Alan stop and look at him with confusion.

"What?"

"Teach me how to fight properly and I'll give you the artifact"

The one-armed man looked at the young man with a rather surprised look before sighing with exhaustion and scratching the back of his head with his eyes closed and head slightly lowered forward.

"Damn kid, you really are a hard bone to chew through... Oh well, I was planning to start with hand-to-hand combat anyway so it doesn't really make any difference to me" He said while opening his eyes and looking forward, then looking at Max once more with a smirk "Come on boy, leave the bag on the chair and follow me. I'll teach you the ageless art of beating the shit out of people with your bare hands"

Alan then walked to the front door and opened it to get out as Max followed after him, leaving his bag on the chair but keeping his dagger for good measure. Thus, giving a start to the long and arduous training, and the new relationship between a lax teacher and a troublesome, cynical pupil.

* * *

*Scene*

The first few days of training were nothing short of hellish. As promised Alan's first lessons would be hand to hand combat and he certainly proved his skill every single day by beating Max to a pulp, but it didn't quite end there either. As part of Max's initial training was not just hand to hand combat but also assault training which mostly included going through a trim trail multiple times and jogging around the cave's main area a couple dozen times to cover a distance relative to a couple of miles or so. According to Alan himself this was to get him in proper "shape".

The training and daily beatings were so rough he wouldn't fall asleep as much he would pass out from exhaustion and on somedays he would even have a hard time holding back the urge to puke. Despite this Alan did not show any signs of intending to take it any easier on Max and neither did the young man intend to stop trying either. He was determined to become stronger no matter how hard it would be, and that dedication steadily began to pay off. After two weeks it began to take longer and longer for his body tire out, he also seemed to have less trouble with after-workout nausea as well but without a doubt the most important improvement came to shine during hand to hand combat. His body could move faster and his fists would hit harder than before, not to mention he was able to dodge the attacks more easily and brush off or at least weather the ones he couldn't avoid in time.

By the time they reached their fifth week of training Max was notably faster and stronger than at the start, being able to keep up with the one armed man's fists even when he was going all out on him, though winning against him was a whole other tale. At this point he also introduced other forms of training as well such as knife fighting and camouflage along with gun training. Max wasn't all too fond of guns but he forced himself to learn what he could about them nonetheles. Within just a few classes he learned how the guns used in the island worked but his accuracy still left much to be desired. Surprisingly enough he had a much better aim with bows and crossbows despite this notable lack of aim with ballistic weapons.

After a month of rigorous training Alan surprised Max during dinner by showing him a yellow-ish scroll which turned out to be a map of the whole island after he spread it out over the table.

"Hey Kid, check this out. I looked around a few of my old notes and found the location of one of the artifact caves" Pointed out Alan while tapping his finger on one of the edges of the island's drawing "It's located south east of the island, hidden away behind a patch of vegetation on a beach"

Max leaned forward to look at the spot of the map Alan poked his finger against. He had no clear idea where it was in correlation to their current position as the middle-aged man still kept that little detail a secret, though it didn't seem that far away from where the green obelisk was.

"What makes you think no one found the artifact yet?"

"The area around that beach consists of a few grasslands and forests along with some swampy regions to the north west. Plenty of room to build a base but most folk avoid the area due to all the raptors and Carnos that roam the graslands and forests, not to mention the chance of running into a spino on one of the nearby rivers"

With each piece of his explanation about the surrounding dangers Alan drew lines or circles with his finger as if trying to trace mental reminders of each danger and each area for Max, though it didn't take long for his focus to return to the cave once more.

"Besides, even if someone were to find the entrance they wouldn't go very far inside" Added the one-armed man "Not only is it chock-full of giant bats and bugs like the other cave but this one's full of magma to boot"

"You mean Lava?"

"No no, it's magma. Totally different stuff" Quickly replied Alan while looking at Max again "You see, magma is when it flows underground through veins in volcanos or under the planet's crust while Lava is when it's expelled out through a volcanic eruption"

The young man looked at him in silence for a moment or two before Alan focused once again on the important subject.

"Right, anyway..." He said before clearing his throat and looking at the map once more "I'm not sure if it's because the cave connects to one of the volcano's magma veins but the lower levels are literally full of magma lakes. The scorching heat produced within the cave could cause any normal person to suffocate and eventually die from Hypertermia in a matter of hours"

"The perfect place to hide an artifact..." Asserted Max

"Exactly" Replied Alan

A combination of wild, poisonous creatures to fiercely protect the artifact and a deadly amount of volcanic heat capable of killing any unprepared person that tried to go in acting as a second layer of protection.

"What do I need to do to get to the artifact?"

"Lucky for you, I have just the thing for the occasion" Said the one-armed man before putting a mask made of leather and what seemed like leaves on the table, allowing Max to pick it up and analize it for a moment before explaining further "It's called a "ghillie suit". That stuff's made of strands of organic polymer. Perfect for dispersing heat and makes for pretty good camouflage too"

The young man turned around the mask and then tried putting it on. True to Alan's words the mask felt a tad chilly on his skin, but was otherwise light and not too stuffy despite appearances suggesting otherwise.

"With a full suit of the stuff you should be able to go into the cave without getting cooked alive in the process" He said with his arms crossed "There's a couple of other things you'll be taking along for the ride but we can go over it tomorrow"

"So tomorrow's the day, huh...?"

"Yup"

Max took off the mask and looked at Alan while putting it back down on the table. The one-armed man then took the mask once more and waked away.

"There's some other stuff you'll be taking along for the ride but we'll be going over those tomorrow. For now just try to get some rest okay?"

The following morning Max woke up early as he couldn't really get much sleep last night due to his mind constantly thinking about the dangers of the cave he would venture into and the risks he'd be forced to face once more. These thoughts remained with him until Alan surprised him yet again, this time not with an aged map but with a bowl of vegetable soup that had a dark green tone to it and evoked a somewhat nauseating sensation within him.

According to the one-armed man it was a special soup capable of cooling off his body and make the cave's volcanic temperatures easier to withstand. The smell and taste were surprsingly bearable in contrast to its sickening appearance but Alan nearly had to shove it down his throat by force due to Max's persistent rejection to eat it, just the same way he refused to eat anything the former offered to him and would only accept what he cooked by himself. In the end the one-armed man spent nearly an hour trying to convince him the dish was perfectly safe to eat and even had to chug down half of it himself before eventually deciding to simply teach the young man how to prepare it by himself and put away the formerly prepared soup in a preserving bin.

Once that little ordeal was done the two headed for the cave entrance and walked out into the open, a thick jungle full of lush vegetation spreading everywhere, providing perfect cover for the entrance. Max stopped for a moment or two to fully take it all in.

The feeling of sunlight and fresh air caressing his body for the first time in almost a month of breathing the cave's stale air and having the artificial light sources from Alan's electrical lamps was a remarkable sensation. Even with all the dangers that lured out there he couldn't help but feel more at ease, relaxed. It almost felt as if he was an inmate finally getting out of prison and recovering his once lost freedom.

"Hey kid...Over here"

Snapped out of his train of thought by Alan, Max turned his head to see the one-armed man guiding a raptor by the reels of a saddle. One of the few tames he kept in a sepparate section of the cave, this one had a reddish-brown coloration along with red feathers.

"This is gonna be your ride. His name's Robert"

"Why Robert?"

"He kind of has a Robert face"

The young man simply looked at Alan in silence before looking at the raptor. Though he couldn't tell why, the name did indeed feel oddly fitting when looking at the Raptor's face.

"Anyway, here's your stuff" Asserted Alan while handing both the map of the cave's location and his backpack, which was already packed with extra rations for the trip alongside other essential items "I already put a radio and a compass to use inside the cave. Once you get to the entrance just turn on the radio and call me, I'll try to guide you from there onwards"

Max looked inside the backpack for a moment before closing it and putting it on, then getting on top of the raptor with Wilson under one arm.

"Sure you don't want to leave the little guy here? It'd be a lot safer"

"I'm not leaving Wilson behind" He replied without even looking at Alan.

"If you say so" Said the man with slight resignation before looking at Max with a notably more stern look "Listen. Whatever happens in there, make sure not to panic and remember what I taught you. It'll save you and your bird's life in a pinch"

Alongside his transport, backpack and ghillie suit, Max also carried a revolver with a few spare bullets together with his usual bow and quiver full of arrows. He was probably as ready as he could be at the moment, yet there was certain unease lingering within him. Alas, he wasn't the only one.

"Hey...Kid..."

"What...?"

Alan remained silent for a moment or two before finally speaking up.

"Just don't get yourself killed, okay?"

Max looked at the one-armed man for only a short moment and though his face seemed calm and composed as always yet he couldn't help but feel like he was thinking something else on the back of his mind.

"I wasn't planning to..." Replied the young man calmly before looking forward once more and nudging at the raptor to start moving.

The mount reacted in accordance to the order right away and began to run forward, getting further and further away from Alan before blending into the lush vegetation and getting out of sight. The one-armed man kept looking in the general direcction for a minute or so before heading back into the cave while Max began the expedition to the cave.

Usually reaching such a location would take a day or so on foot, the raptor was capable of taking him there in just a couple of hours mostly thanks to it being able to go through heavily forested areas with little to no effort, not to mention being a fast runner also made it easy to outrun predators that would have required a few time-consuming detours.

Eventually Max managed to reach the eastern beach and followed it north until coming along a large area with notable vegetation surrounded by large rock walls. Looking carefully at the shape of the area and then at the map he was given, the young man concluded this had to be the area where the cave's entrance was hidden and so began to search around for a nook and cranny of any sort.

Within a few minutes of looking around his eyes spotted a medium sized entrance and upon closer inspection it seemed to lead deeper underground, but without a doubt the most noteworthy thing about it was the surprising heat emanating from within. It was almost as if he was peeking his head into a stone oven used for making pizza.

"(Alright...This should be it...)" Thought the young man before taking out his radio and turning it onto the right frequency "Hey...I think I found it"

Almost right away Alan's voice was heard coming from within the hand-held communication device.

"You sure about that, over?"

"Yes. This is the location on the map and the heat coming out of it feels unnaturally high too"

"..."

"...Hello? Did this thing cut off?" Asked Max after receiving nothing but silence as a respone.

"Oh no, I was just waiting for you to say "over" at the end of your message"

"...Why?"

"Because that's how radio communication works! It helps you know wheter the other person finished speaking or not in case communication gets choppy or cut off entirely! Over!"

"I see...Anyway, I'll be heading in now"

"..."

"..."

"...Over..."

"Roger that! Make sure to be careful in there and stay hydrated!" Replied the one-armed man with a confident tone "Also don't worry about Robert, just tell it to hide and it'll wait for you to come back out! Over!"

Max closed his eyes and sighed before getting off the raptor and ordering it to hide, which it did by kneeling down among some of the thickest patches of vegetation it could find close-by.

"Ah, by the way..." Said Alan over the radio once more "Radio signals have a hard time getting through when you're within the island's caves due to the energy emanated by the artifacts so I might not be able to communicate after you reach a certain depth. Over"

"(In other words, the stronger the radio's static becomes the closer I am to the artifact...)" Thought Max to himself.

"If you get lost try using the compass to figure out which way you're going or try to make a mental note of noteworthy landmarks, over"

"Understood. I'm going in now...over"

"Good luck! Over!"

With that Max placed the radio on his belt and looked once more at the cave's entrance, taking a deep breath before venturing inside with Wilson following behind him.

The strong heat emanating from the entrance only got more and more overwhelming as he ventured within, increasing with each step he took to the point it was almost suffocating. At first he began to hear rumbling sounds echoing from deeper within and after a minute or so the dim light of his torch was soon outshined by a red, hellish glow. By this point the heat from the entrance felt more like a summer breeze in comparison.

After going around a sloped corner he was faced with quite a scene. Literal waterfalls and rivers of flowing magma, the dull glow emanating from within it and the large orange-ish crystal formations spread around the area illuminated the whole area with a dark red hue, making it look like a cavern one would find in the depths of hell itself. Even with the protection of the ghillie suit and the vegetable soup cooling off his body Max could still feel himself sweat profusely, yet this did not discourage him and he soon kept moving.

Unfortunately the heat was not the only obstacle to present itself within the cave as the young man soon heard the unmistakable screeching cries of giant bats and spiders coming from the direcction he was headed in. And certainly enough he came upon them, dozens of the abominable creatures lingering around the path that laid ahead.

"(Shit...!)" Thought the young man to himself while both him and Wilson quickly hid behind a corner "(There's more of them than I expected)"

When peeking out to look none of them seemed to notice him yet, giving him the advantage of surprise. At first he thought about using the revolver but he had arguably pretty bad aim with it, not to mention the sound of gunshot would definitely attract more of them that might be hiding deeper within. So instead he decided to rely on the bow and arrow.

With the bow ready he took an arrow ouf of the quiver and quickly peeked over the corner once more before moving out of cover and taking aim to fire. Two arrows flew through the air in quick succesion, each one hitting a bat that was flying around and caused them to plummet down among the packs of spiders. The aracnids didn't even hesitate to jump on the injured creatures and devour them mercilessly on the spot, the already eerie screeching becoming far more disturbing as pain distorted it into something more ominous than before.

The young man repeated this process once more before one of the arrows missed an aracnid by inches and instead grazed it on the leg. This caused it to turn around hastily and notice Max as he failed to hide away quick enough, a much higher screech soon echoed through the walls of the cave as the creature alerted its brethen of the human intruder.

"(They found me!)" Thought Max as he saw all of the remaining cave-dwellers viciously head towards him in unison before getting out of cover with an arrow in hand. There was little meaning in staying hidden at this point "Wilson, find somewhere to hide! Quick!"

The Dodo did as it was told and backed off to find a new hiding spot while Max began to fire one arrow after the other at the incoming waves. His aim remained true even with the overwhelming heat and his arrows managed to strike down many of the creatures. But for each one that fell a new one emerged from the depths of the cave to take its place, attracted by the sounds of battle and possible prey to feast upon.

Max made sure to prepare plenty of arrows before-hand just in case but even with a full quiver he was quickly running out of arrows, so in order to conserve ammo he began using the arrows to stab the spiders and bats that got too close before shooting them at the enemies that were further away. This method helped him take down multiple enemies with one single arrow, although a couple were unable to withstand the makeshift use and broke.

He kept repeating this cycle more times than he could count until the cave-dwellers began to dwindle in number and only a handful were left. Unfortunately as he reached out into his quiver to deal with them Max's hand only grasped air as no more arrows remained.

"(I ran out of arrows!?)" Thought the young man as he looked over his shoulder before looking at the incoming monsters.

Though only three in number the cave-dwelling creatures still posed a notable danger due to their ability to transmit deadly substance such as venom and rabies through their bite. The risk of getting bitten while trying to fend them off with the dagger was too high and he had little trust in his aim with the revolver.

With no time to check if he had more options Max ducked the lounging attack of bats and jumped over the the spider by stepping on its abdomen before dashing towards some of the closest corpses to try and recover the arrows, but the aracnid was quick to turn around and shot its webs at him. The sticky cobweb hit him in the foot and caused him to trip just inches away from one of the corpses, getting him stuck in place.

The young man reached out for the arrow as hard as he could, stretching out his arm as his fingers attempted to get a hold of the arrow but merely scrapping the feathers at the end of it, as the monsters lounged at him once more to finally devour their now pinned down prey. Max's heart began to beat franatically and the muscles in his arm began to ache from all the stretching but after countless attempts he managed to get a hold of the arrow and pulled on it. Blood spilling out and staining the arrowhead as he quickly turned to see the spider jumping right at him and stab it right in the head. The aracnid cried in pain for a moment before Max pushed it aside and pulled out the arrow, then shot it at one of the two remaining bats and killed it by hitting it straight in the chest.

The last remaining bat beared down on him as the young man shielded himself with his bow, causing the creature to bite down on the wood while attempting to break through. This led to a vicious struggle that lasted for a few moments as Max held tightly onto the bow to keep the bat at bay before reaching for the dagger in his belt and stabbing it in the left wing. This in turn caused the creature to cry out in pain before falling out to the side and trashing around until Max went for a second stab, this time the blade dug deep into the bat's upper chest and swiftly killed it within seconds.

Looking at the last remaining creature finally bite the dust, Max laid down to take a few deep breaths of relief before pulling the dagger out and use it to cut off the cobwebs covering his foot. At the same time Wilson saw the danger was now gone and hurried to Max's side before chirping.

"Yeah...I think that's all of them..." Replied the young man while getting back up on his feet and looking around at the littered corpses "Don't let your guard down, Wilson. There might be more hidding deeper down the cave"

The Dodo looked at the cave around him before looking at the gun holsted in Max's belt before chirping at him.

"It's a single shot pistol Wilson. I can't shoot it with only one hand" He replied once more to the inquires of the Dodo "Besides, I'd rather not use the gun if I can help it. Last thing I need is to lure everything that lives in the cave with a gunshot"

Putting the dagger back in his belt, Max did a quick check-up of his bow. The bat's bite left a few marks in the wood and cloth handle but the damage didn't seem severe enough to make the bow unusable.

"Alright...Let's recover the arrows and keep moving"

Fortunately there were no giant centipedes this time around so the young man managed to recover most of his arrows and move along to resume his search for the artifact.

Spelunking deeper into the cave led to a few more encounters with bats, aracnids and even scorpions but mostly in scarce groups that seemed to become rare the further he progressed. Perhaps the heat was found on the lower levels was just too much for even the cave-dwellers to handle?

One thing was for certain. He needed to find the artifact and get out of the cave before running out of water or the hyperthermia would make quick work of him.

"So thirsty..."

Every now and then he made sure to drink some water to cool off as well as sharing it with Wilson, who seemed to be handling the heat surprisingly well. Yet he was already on his last bottle and even that one was only half full.

"I'm amazed those things can live down here with this heat..." Said Max while looking down at the lakes of Magma before looking at Wilson "Or rather, how are _you_ okay in this heat?"

Wilson simply looked at the young man and gave a lively flap to its little wings once before chirping in response.

""Us Dodos are pretty hardy" You say..." He repeated after hearing Wilson's seemingly confident respone and sweat dropping "Right...Anyway, we should hurry up and find that artifact"

Trying not to think to much about Wilson's prideful statement Max focused on his search for the artifact. Eventually the paths proved to become more perilous as he had to jump over a couple of ledges and descend further down, slowly getting closer to the lakes of magma. Concern started to linger in the young man's mind yet he pushed it back for the time being, and soon enough his determination paid off in the form of static coming from the radio.

"Huh?"

Up until now the communication device echoed out faint traces of static as they ventured deeper down the caverns but it wasn't until they went down a pathway just now that the static suddenly increased in potency so expotentially. This was without a doubt a sign they were close.

After searching for a few more minutes Max eventually heard Wilson's chirping and turned his head to see him walk off down a path on its own, urging him to follow behind.

"Hey, Wilson! Don't go off on your own!"

The young man followed after the Dodo, only to look with widened eyes at what he found. Humming steadily like an engine as it hovered gently in the air was the piece of alien-like technology. It looked vastly different to the first one he found, but there was no mistaking it. That was indeed the artifact.

"I found it!" Said the young man with a mixture of surprise and relief before suddenly hearing a chirp from Wilson "Okay, okay, I get it! _We_ found the artifact"

Now that the artifact had been discovered all he needed to do was take it and leave the cave. Of course this was easier said than done as in order to reach the artifact in question Max would first need to get across the pools of lava around it. Judging by the charred, half submerged corpses of scorpions, spiders and even human skeletons that were spread against the edges of the pool taking a dip in the lava was definitely not a good idea.

Fortunately there was a small platform in between him and the artifact that he could jump over to, though the precision required for this stunt was something only Max could do as Wilson's legs were not long enough to jump the required distance.

"Okay Wilson...You stay here, I'll go get it" Said the young man before receiving a chirp from his trusty Dodo "Yes, I can tell it's gonna hurt if I slip into the lava"

The Dodo then gave a quick chirp.

"Same thing!" He retorted to the correction.

While his companion stayed behind Max took a deep breath and got closer to edge, after making sure to get a good idea of the distance he stepped back and took a deep breath before rushing forward and jumping. A sharp tingle of cold fear pierced his entire body as he flew through the deadly substance and eventually landed on the platform, It felt as though he was striken by lighting but letting fear paralyze him now would have catastrophic results. Without even allowing his own mind to form any thoughts based on that instinctive fear he quickly took a second leap and reached the artifact's platform.

"(I...I did it! I did it!)"

The moment his feet made contact with the second platform Max fell weak on the knees and almost fell down on them before looking at the ground below him just to confirm he was indeed still alive and stepping on solid ground, or at the very least solid rock.

Regaining his composure once more the young man approached the artifact and collected it in the same way he did with the first one. Just as expected, the process of glowing into light and then being absorbed into the implant was just the same.

With the artifact now in his possesion he could finally get out of the hellish caverns, but it was after the strange alien-like object was collected that Max's attention got caught by something else. Laying down against the wall next to where the artifact hovered mere moments ago there was a corpse. He was dressed into what seemed like chitin armor with a pterodactyl drawing on the shoulder pad and only his face was visible, the red marks of blood on his leg were dry as bone and his clothes were dusty. It seemed as though the man died quite some time ago already.

The armor was far too damaged by both animal attack and burns to be of any use to him but the crossbow, although slightly worn out, still seemed usable. It was similar in appearance to the one used by Jerico except this one was wrapped in red cloth and had the same pterodactyl sign painted on the side of the wooden handle along with a bulky metal attachment under the receiving end that was connected to a metal hook and wire.

Upon gently taking the crossbow and looking at it, the young man noticed a piece of folded paper laying next to the corpse. After unfolding it he saw it was an old letter or a note of sorts. The ink was faded and made a few parts difficult to read but he managed to figure out what most of it said.

"I have done it! I have finally done it! I discovered one of the ancient artifacts that the emperor seeks to collect! My guards perished fending off the beasts that dwell within this cave and one of those accursed bats managed to seek its teeth into my leg. I managed to cross the flaming waters that incinerate all they touch with the help of this grappling hook, but the wound in my leg has severely limited my movement and this accursed heat is sapping away my stamina! I will need to rest and regain my strength before I can venture back to the legion with the spoils of my victory. Long live Nerva's Legion. Long live emperor Alazar" Read Max from the worn piece of paper before lowering it to look at the corpse one more "So this guy was from the legion..."

After storing the note in his pocket the young man got back up and decided it was time to leave the cave. At first he thought about testing out wheter this grappling hook the note spoke of still worked and could be used to swing his way over the magma but soon came to realize the idea was just too risky and instead just jumped from platform to platform.

Together with Wilson the two went back the same way they arrived, climbing up the slopes and jumping from one ledge to the other until reaching the same crystal formation he first encountered. Soon enough the scenery changed from the hellish red walls to the dark and dimly lit passageways before eventually seeing the rays of sunlight coming out from outside.

An overwhelming sense of relief coursed through his body as the hard rock he stepped on was replaced by sand and he felt the fresh breeze that blew along the coast. They did it, they survived the cave and succesfully recovered the artifact.

"Water...Water!"

Turning his head to look at the ocean Max wasted no time to run towards it while taking off his ghillie suit until only his pants remained and jumping straight in. The cool, refreshing feeling on his skin as he laid down on the shallow waters was beyond words. It was as if life was being poured back into him. He was a little dizzy from overheating and exhausted, but could hardly complain as he was still alive.

As wilson approached the shallow waters to drink from them and refresh as well, Max kept looking at the blue skies above him for a few minutes before sitting up and looking at the ocean.

After taking a few minutes for him and Wilson to rest, he filled up his water bottles and allowed both the Dodo and raptor to drink up before dressing up and heading back to Alan's hideout.

* * *

*scene*

"Alright, this should be the last one!" Said Alex after loading up the final bag of grain onto the makeshift wooden elevator.

Frederick nodded in agreement and signaled with a raised hand at the assistants on top of the treehouse platform to lift up the cargo. As the bags were lifted up and carried to the storage the middle-aged man faced Alex once more with a look of gratitude.

"Sorry for making you do all the heavy-lifting for me, kid"

"It's all good, don't worry about it" Replied the sportsman while dusting off his hands and looking at him "How's your back doing?"

"A little better. Still hurts like hell, though" Asserted Frederick with one hand on the lower end of his back. An expression of faint pain in his face as he felt the aching feeling echoing through his muscles "A botanist from another trader's post gave me some herbs to ease up the pain but warned me I might need something stronger to properly heal up"

"I see..." Said Alex with a look of concern

"I guess it just goes to show old age is finally catching up to me, eh?" Said Frederick with a smirk and a light laugh.

Though the middle-aged man tried to act like it was no big deal Alex couldn't really join in the laugh. From what Jordan told him the back injury Frederick suffered from lifthing too much weight at once wasn't life threatening, but it was certainly going to make traveling a lot harder for him if not nearly impossible.

Noticing the look in the sportsman face Frederick quickly attempted to change the subject.

"By the way, how are the others from your group doing?" He asked as his mind suddenly recalled them.

"Oh, they're all doing fine" Answered Alex after reacting to the question "Lily, Alice and Olivia settled down on the Weathertop with the rest of the blue students for now And Rick's been mostly tagging along with Jerico in his trips to the Golden Hesperonis to find more information about the artifact caves"

"Still no signs of that Max kid?" Asked Frederick, though with some faint hesitation at first.

"None at all..."

The middle-aged man could notice the demoralized tone in Alex's voice as he answered with his gaze slightly lowered.

After Max's sudden departure from the Weathertop things didn't quite improve for him and the others. Though they focused most of their time preparing for the future journeys and search of artifacts the one unspoken thought that lingered through everyone's mind every now and then was if Max would really come back of his own volition, with some hoping for it more than others. If nothing else, at the very least it served as something to keep the moral from plummeting.

Despite agreeing to wait for him Alex would usually leave the Weathertop to scout around the surrounding areas in search of the young man while using the excuse of gathering berries or fish without having to disturb the spots usually used by the blue students, who were still none the wiser about his departure save Angela. It was hardly difficult for her to be shocked about the news after the rather vicious treatment he received from the blue stuents.

With each passing day the hope of his return grew thinner and thinner. After a couple of days Jerico was forced to go back to the Redwoods out of corner for Torito and his companions, and after a whole week passed even Alex and Lily who held onto this idea with the most strength were forced to face the fact he would indeed not return. In the end the group agreed to focus on resuming their search for information about artifact caves while also attempting to find any clues about Max's whereabouts on the side.

"Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure he's okay" Assured Frederick in an attempt to ease up Alex's worries "He's a pretty hardy guy"

"Indeed" Aserted Jordan, who happened to hear the conversation mid-way through as he climbed down the rope staircase to greet him and inform Frederick the supplies were stored "Strong-willed people like him have a talent for keeping themselves alive. Such determination is worth a pretty high score, you know"

These words of assurance didn't help remove Alex's concerns but at least were enough to lighten up his mood a little.

"Yeah, you're right..." He said while looking at the two of them "I should be on my way now. The others are probably gonna worry if I don't get back before nightime arrives"

"Sure thing. Take care now" Replied Frederick

"Make sure to tell them we said hello, okay?" Added Jordan before giving Alex a wooden bottle filled with an odd-looking green substance "Also please give this to Lily. It's for her hair"

"Thanks. I'm sure she'll like it"

After storing the bottle in his backpack Alex got up on the back of his Parasaurus, a tame acquired after Jerico taught Lily the basics of how to tame the island's creatures through the use of the implant, and set off while Frederick and Jordan looked at him leave.

"I really hope those two meet each other again" Said the middle-aged man

"Likewise..."

While the two went back inside Alex headed back to the Weathertop. Thanks to his new mount he managed to leave the forests and cross the river far quicker than when he had to do the trip by foot.

"(I guess I should leave the search for tomorrow morning and just head right back for now...)" He thought to himself while looking at the sky turning orange as the sun slowly set down on the horizon beyond the trees. And instead of just going on his daily scouting of the surrounding areas he went straight back to the small camp he and the others set up just outside the Weathertop's base.

As one would imagine, the rest of the blue students showed no signs of concern about Max's lack of presence for the past week. If anything they seemed more relieved not to see him at all. But as the second week went by some began to take notice of how there was absolutely no sight of him even among his own group. Of course, him being the one in possesion of the artifact and likely the only key to their escape from the island was still something that made many among them deeply worried about the idea of Max running away with it and leaving them stuck in the island forever.

Angela attempted to keep things under control by making everyone's focus be on building a piping system out of bamboo and water tanks out of wood that would pump water from the rivers below and store it for later use, allowing for an ample supply of fresh water without having to risk a trip out of the Weathertop everytime. Alongside this project Olivia also brought forth other distractions by using the knowledge she acquired from her job at the Golden Hesperonis such as the construction of a refining forge and even a smithy, both of which she used to build metal pickaxes and hatchets using iron gathered by the blue students from smooth rocks spread around the rivers on which they were planning to build the piping system.

The mining excursions didn't sit quite well with the students themselves due to how taxing it was at first but the complaints soon ceased as their hard work was rewarded with newer, much more efficient metal tools that greatly helped at not only gathering raw metal but also at gathering wood for the walls and water tanks and bamboo for the pipes. Not to mention the red-headed student also made good use of the surplus stone and flint they gathered to create sparkpowder in bulk, which in turn served as a great fuel for the forge and even helped them make preserving bins to keep the gathered food from spoiling.

All of these innovations not only lifted up morale among the blue students but even put Angela herself on quite a good mood as well. With all the progress they were making the blue flower couldn't help but keep coming up with new ideas as for how to expand the walls to make the base even bigger and to replace the thatch buildings with solid wooden structures. Olivia on the other hand seemed quite bored of this, as she most likely wished to pour her efforts into building and developing more complex machinery.

This was quite evident by his usual complaints to Lily, who would end up comforting her one way or the other. Even today as Alex arrived back to camp the first thing he heard was Olivia's voice arguing about it.

"Arghhhhh I can't take it anymore!" Complained the redhead as she laid down on the grass next to Lily "Machines, Lily! I want to work on machines! I'm sick and tired and sickeningly tired of working on pickaxes and hatchets!"

"There, there. I know it's hard but you're doing very well" Replied the Purple flower while looking at her with a smile.

"Oh Lily! This is awful! I want to create cool stuff like the generators and fabricators I saw back at the Golden Hesperonis! I wanna I wanna I wannaaaaa" Asserted Olivia while sitting up and putting both hands on her shoulders, a notably grieving expression on her face "This is hell! Hell, I tell you! How long have I been without seeing some seing me some proper gears and spare parts!? The smell of lubricating oil to keep the metal from rusting!? I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms here! No, not just withdrawal! Machinedrawal symptoms!"

"(I didn't think she was _that_ obsessed with machinery...)" Thought Angela while sweat dropping with a weak smile "Pl-Please don't get so upset Olivia. The work you're doing is truly helping everyone here. And as much as I'd like to have things like electricity here I don't think we can actually build something so complex with what little we have at the moment"

"I wish Max had not taken that artifact with him. If I at least had that-"

"Hey, Olivia!"

"Huh?"

Upon being interrupted by Lily Olivia turned her head to see both Alice and then Alex as well. Though the little girl was currently setting appart some berries on a piece of hide to feed the Parasaur with and the sportsman had just arrived, both had the same downcast, discouraged look.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" She said quickly and with slight panic in an attempt to defuse the sour mood she caused.

"No...It's okay..." Replied Alice without even turning her head to look at the student and instead focusing on her own duty once more.

At the same time Angela and Lily became aware of Alex's presence and turned their heads to look at him.

"Welcome back Alex!" Said the Purple flower with a smile in an attempt to give him a somewhat warm welcome, which he certainly looked like he could use at the moment.

"Any luck with the search?" Asked Angela, her question mainly aimed at the search for artifact caves but clearly also meant towards Max's search as well.

"None at all" Replied the sportsman as he sat down close by the campfire with the others "I've been helping Frederick with a few trades and none of the merchants I asked heard about artifacts. A few cursed cave rumors here and there but checking them all out would take weeks if not months"

"I see. What about...You know..."

A short moment of silence followed Angela's attempt to ask before Alex answered it by slowly shaking his head and then speaking out.

"I asked everyone but no one saw him or the Dodo either. So wherever he is, he's not in the Redwoods"

"I'm sure he's okay, Alex" Stated the Blue flower while trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"That's right!" Asserted Lily with confidence to try and lighten up the mood as well "He's really good at fighting and he's got with him so he's definitely gonna be okay!"

Assurances and promises of Max's well-being were nothing but cold comfort to Alex at this point, but even then he couldn't really feel upset about it. Just like Frederick and Jordan, the two flowers only wished to be of help.

"So...What do we do now then?" Asked Olivia while sitting up, then alternating between looking at Lily and Alex until the latter spoke up.

"For the time being, we'll wait for Rick to return and see what he managed to find. After that we'll figure out our next move. He should be back in about a day or two if everything goes according to plan"

"Sounds good to me!" Said the redhead before getting up on her feet "With that out of the way, let's cook up some grub! I'm totally starving here!"

"I'll help out" Added Angela while getting up

Alex and Lily then began preparing the fish while Angela helped out by lighting up the fire. At the same time Alice fed some berries to the Parasaur. This was more or less a daily routine for the group ever since they set up camp on the outskirts of the Weathertop, a routine that was currently being quietly observed by a redheaded blue student who spied on them from behind some of the rock formations before running back to base with the intent to spread the news so many dreaded.


	14. Clever girl

Around an hour or so before the unnatural incident that shipwrecked them into this island took place the students were still casually enjoying themselves, mostly by just messing around or hanging out together in groups. Lily in particular walked around the ship in search of a place to get a good view of the ocean in order to make a sketch of it as a way to entertain herself and keep a good memento of the trip while two other female purple students tagged along, though they weren't really close friends of the young woman she accepted their company nonetheless as she always enjoyed drawing alongside others more than when doing it alone.

While looking around the ship they persistently kept asking about tips and methods to improve their own drawing skills while Lily did her best to answer with what she learned from the teachers and professors. Although the tsunami of questions suddenly came to a halt as one of the girls took notice of something rather peculiar.

"Ah, isn't that Alex Bergeron?" Asked the first purple student with surprise.

"Oh wow, it _is_ him!" Replied the second one with an equal reaction.

"Who?" Asked Lily with notable confusion.

"You don't know about him?" Said the second purple student "He's a super popular athlete from the green school's boxing club who excels at all types of sports. In fact, they say he's so good at pretty much any sport that most clubs even pay him just to get his help during important events"

"I also heard from a friend who goes to the green school that he's actually the boyfriend of the green flower too" Added the first purple student before both of them looked at Lily "So, what do you think about him Lily?"

The purple flower took a moment of thinking with her eyes closed and humming before opening them and speaking up what she thought.

"I think muscles are okay to draw if you like practicing certain shapes and want to add more detail to bare bodies but there's only so much you can do with them when drawing clothes later down the line..." She explained methodically, much to the surprise and disbelief of the two students with her who were expecting an answer more leaned towards her taste in men rather than drawing techniques.

"N-No, that's not what we meant..." Said the first student.

"That's the purple flower for you. There's only room for art in her mind..." Added the second one while sweat dropping

Lily kept looking at Alex as he spoke to another student who seemed generally more reserved and gloomy than the cheerful sportsman, this soon caught her attention.

"Who's that person he's talking to?" She asked while turning her head to look at one of the girls.

"I'm not sure...He seems like a pretty gloomy guy, though" Answered the first student while looking at him "Judging by the uniform he's probably from the blue school"

"Wait, I know him! He's Max Rockwell!" Said the second student as her expression suddenly twisted into one of rejection "They say he's a total mysoginist who lashes out at any woman that gets too close. I even heard a rumor about him assaulting and scarring a female senior's face back during his first year so badly that she dropped out and changed schools almost a week afterwards"

"Wait, seriously?" Asked the first purple student before looking at him with disgust "What's a creep like that doing on the ship with us? Or rather, why is someone like Alex even talking to him?"

"I heard they're apparently friends. He's probably just trying to be nice since no one in the blue school wants to even get close to him, though" Explained the second student as she watched the two of them talk before Alex eventually walked away with one hand on the back of his head "What a waste of time..."

"Alex Rockwell..." Said Lily to herself, seemingly curious about the young man.

"Don't even bother thinking about him, Lily. A creepy scumbag like that is not worth your time" Said the first student before the second one nodded in agreement.

"That's right! He's definitely nothing but a horrible person!"

Despite the constant warnings from both girls Lily couldn't help but keep looking at him as he leaned over the rail of the ship. Even from the current distance she could notice the way he looked out into the oceans. That dejected, forlorn look that felt all too familiar to her, a gaze that had been burned deep into her mind at an early age and that she would never be able to forget.

"(A horrible person...)" She thought while looking at him in silence, her arms holding tighter onto her old and worn sketchbook "(All I see is a very lonely person...)"

"You gotta be kidding me!" Snarled Milly while pointing one finger at Alex, her aggressive yelling breaking Lily's train of thought and snapping her back to reality without any warning "Why didn't any of you say anything about him bailing out with the artifact!?"

"We wanted to, we just couldn't find the right time to do it!" Argued the sportsman in an attempt to state his case.

"That's bullshit!" Yelled one of the students among the gathered crowd "You just tried to cover for him!"

"Tha-That's...!" He replied with certain hesitation.

"I bet you bunch are gonna make a run for it and leave the rest of us stuck here in this hell-hole of an island!" Yelled another student.

"No! You're wrong! We would never do that!" Quickly replied Alex once more.

"Then why did you let that guy run away with the key to getting out of this place!?" Questioned Milly once more.

Shortly after becoming aware of Max's actions the blue student wasted no time in running back to base to spread the news about it. The ensuing commotion this caused almost right away could be heard all the way to the group's camp, causing them and Angela to quickly rush back to the base where they received a less than warm welcome from the students.

Although most of the blue students were silently dwelling in concern or just trying to wrap their heads around what was going on a small group were being much more aggressive than the rest. Their outburst towards Alex and the others didn't seem likely to erupt in a violent stone-pelting or wide-spread panic like before but the metal tools and spears on their hands certainly gave room a different type of concern.

Fortunately Angela wasted no time in attempting to defuse the situation.

"Wait, you guys! This isn't their fault!" Said the blue flower while standing in between Alex's group and the group of blue students "I'm the one who told them to keep quiet about it!"

"What!? Why!?" Asked one blue student among the many who had remained silent up until now.

"I didn't want everyone to panic like they did during the raptor attacks!" She explained while her gaze traveled through the crowd "Don't you get it!? We need to focus on working together in order to stay alive and get back home! Panicking and in-fighting will only put us all at risk again!"

"And what part about that artifact being the only way for us to get back home don't _you_ get!?" Argued milly "As far as we know there's no other way to get out of here and that bastard ran off with it!"

"Hey, hold the horses! We're not like, 100% sure the artifacts actually do what we think they do!" Interrupted Olivia this time "That was just a theory you know!? A conjecture!"

"And even then he would need all ten artifacts to use the obelisks!" Added Alex while taking a step forward "So even with that one artifact there's nothing he can do with it just yet!"

"Then...What should we do?" Asked Sally, who was closer to the front of the crowd. The tone used for her question seemingly hesitant but more intent towards trying to find a solution rather than attempting to create more conflict.

The question echoed within the minds of the other students who seemed just as eager to ask the same question as they were to hear the answer from Alex. Fortunately the sportsman didn't shy away from answering with full-on confidence.

"Right now we need to focus on finding the other artifacts" He explained to them "From what we found out, the artifacts are hidden deep within caves spread all over the island, but there's dozens of caves so we need to narrow down the places to search first. That's why me and Rick have been looking for information about them"

"Caves? What type of caves?" Asked one random student.

"On first glance they look like normal caves but are filled to the brim with monsters" Answered the sportsman "There should be an artifact hidden at the deepest end but because of all the monsters lingering inside the island's inhabitants don't go anywhere near the caves and claim they're cursed"

The blue students of the Weathertop then looked and whispered to each other about this sudden new information for a moment or two before suddenly one of the females rose her hand up to call attention towards herself.

"Erm...If it's caves, I think I might have seen something like that"

All eyes quickly focused on her with a mixture of surprise and shock as she stepped forward.

"It was back when we were still moving from place to place to escape from the monsters. I was helping out in gathering berries with the others when I suddenly found a cave hidden behind lots of vegetation" She explained to Alex and the others as she recalled the events in her mind "I thought it'd make for a good place to stay the night with everyone at first but just as I peeked inside I started hearing these really creepy screeching sounds echoing from within"

"After that you got scared and ran back to the group without telling anyone about it, right?" Asked Angela, who could already envision what happened aftwwards.

The female student simply answered by nodding her head to affirm it.

"Do you remember exactly where you found the cave?" Asked Alex while looking at her, to which the student shook her head slowly "What about a general area? Even if it's just a vague idea, it could still help a lot"

"What about it if you had a map?" Added Olivia this time, who then approached both Alex and the student before pulling out a roll of worn paper and unfolded it on the grass to reveal a map of the island.

Upon the reveal Angela, Alex and the female student alongside with Olivia sat around the map as the blue students approached as well to take a look out of curiosity.

"So this is what the island's geography looks like..." Stated Angela while analizing every inch of the map with her eyes "Where is the Weathertop in this map?"

Olivia then began to look carefully while using her finger as a guide.

"Let's see...The red obelisk is _here_ " She said while tapping on a small blue circle of water next to an island located at the bottom right of the map before slowly guiding her finger to the right and tapping it on the paper once more, this time at the center of the islet located next to it "Judging by the distance and landmarks I saw on our way here, I'd say the Weathertop is right around...here"

"Eh? That little spot?" Asked one of the male students in the crowd.

The blue students, including Angela herself, were nothing short of shocked by this information. Everyone imagined the island to be quite large but nothing of this magnitude.

"Just how big is this island?" Asked the blue flower.

"Massive..." Replied Alex while recalling his trip to the blue obelisk and the sight of the island stretching out as far as he could see from the top of the mountain.

"How didn't anyone ever find this place?" Asked one female student "I mean, if it's that big then shouldn't it pop out in satelites or something?"

"It's just my guess but maybe the obelisks have some sort of device capable of cloacking the whole island from being detected by satelites" Explained Olivia without moving her eyes away from the map "Maybe even the forcefield itself doubles up as a plasma cloacking device. And since it can refract wavelengths from satelites it wouldn't be a stretch to say it could also reflect light to effectively make it look like there's nothing but more ocean from the outside"

"No way..." Said the same female student.

"Well, I'm pretty much just brainstorming ideas here so it's not 100% fact" Added the Mechatronics student.

"One thing's for certain. It all keeps linking back to those obelisks" Stated Angela while turning her head to look at the red obelisk before focusing on the map once more "Either way, dwelling about it won't solve anything. First we need to find that cave"

While Angela and Alex tried to pin-point the location of the cave's entrance with the help of the female student who was trying to remember any details about the general area where she found it Alice and Lily remained some distance away from both the conversation and the crowd gathering around it, the little girl wanted nothing to do with this argument where yet again all they did was insult and judge her older brother while Lily remained on her side, the earlier flashback still fresh on her mind.

"Lily...Lily?" Asked Alice, who received no response until she began to shake her arm constantly "Hey, Lily!?"

The Purple flower's mind kept lingering on her memories for a bit longer before finally getting cut short by the little girl's attempts to regain her attention, which caused Lily to suddenly snap back into reality for a second time as eyes met with Alice's. The little girl looked notably concerned, signaling she had been lost in remembrance for much longer than she realized.

"Are you okay?" She asked to the flower "You looked like you were thinking really hard about something"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Replied Lily in a quick attempt to brush it off with a smile "I was just thinking about trying to draw one of the horned herbivores we see roaming close to the camp!"

"I see..."

Alice didn't seem all that convinced by her answer but chose not to question her any further than that, wheter Lily was saying the truth or just making an excuse there was most likely a reason for it. And either way she didn't really want to make too much conversation with the current mood going on either.

Both girls focused their attention back to the rest of the group who seemed to be doing some progress on getting a more exact location of the cave. Although the female blue student couldn't remember the exact location she still vaguely remembered the timeframe of her discovery which in turn allowed Angela to recall a few landmarks with the help of the other students.

"If it was around three to five days before reaching the Weathertop then we definitely crossed the two large rivers to the east of here" Stated angela while tapping on the rivers drawn in the map "We had to make our way around the last one because of all the monsters and piranhas swimming around in it and that took us two full days, but we were able to cross right through the first one without too much issue in about a day or so and walking from one river to the other took us about two more days if we count the times we had to stop for resting and gathering food"

"I remember going to gather some fish with a friend and seeing a sandy area like that one too" Added one of the male students while pointing at the sandy area south of the islets.

"So with all of that, we can guess the cave should be somewhere around the second islet with the sandy area" Stated Alex with his finger on the second islet before looking at the female student "Anything else you can remember?"

The blue student took a moment of thinking before one important detail suddenly jumped back into her mind.

"Wait, I remember now!" She said with a sudden realization "The place where I found the cave entrance had large walls on both sides, kind of like a passage!"

Both Alex and Angela looked once more at the map with the new information before the latter pointed at a spot between two elevated areas of the islet.

"Kind of like this one?" She asked, to which the student nodded fervently in agreement.

At long last they managed to pin-point the location of the cave or at the very least what they believed to be the location of the cave's entrance.

"You think there's really gonna be an artifact hidden there?" Asked the blue flower while turning her head to look at Alex.

"I can't tell for sure, but it's still worth checking out" He replied while standing up and dusting off his pants "With that said, caves are way too dangerous to go unprepared. I'll wait for Rick to come back and then we'll prepare for the trip"

"What about that other guy? The one with the cowboy hat" Asked one random student from the crowd "Why not ask him for help?"

"That's right! Didn't he help you out with that first cave?" Said another student "I'm sure he's gonna lend you a hand with this one too!"

Without any hint of shame or hesitation the students were already assured Jerico would do as asked without any doubt, almost as if he was indebted to them. This conceited attitude ticked off the sportsman. The cowboy-ish man was certainly a good guy and his lack of grudge towards the students for that pelting proved it, but there was a limit to being nice.

"You people..."

"That man already has his own share of problems and his own group to worry about" Interrupted Angela before getting up and looking at the blue students with a notably stern expression "Besides...Do you really think any of us has any right to ask him for help after what happened the other day?"

"Tha-That's..." Replied the same student, unable to say anything further than that.

Just in the same way all the other students were left speechless. None of them could come up with a solid argument against it as no one could deny after the fact that what they did was too extreme of a method, even if it was meant against Max. Of course some thought about stating that to the blue flower but remained quiet more out of shame for their own behavior than out of disbelief.

"There's no other choice. If we want the artifact we'll have to go get it by ourselves this time" Said Alex after getting up as well and looking at the people around him "So, who's coming with me?"

Everyone remained silent or quickly took a step back to avoid meeting his gaze or standing out for a moment or two before one male student finally asked what many were thinking.

"Just asking...But what's in the caves?" He asked hesitantly as Alex looked at him.

"There's mostly giant bats, spiders, centipedes and scorpions. But that was mostly the cave we went to so I'm not really sure if it'll be the same on that one" Replied the sportsman "Even so, we should be able to hold our ground with a solid group of at least four or five people armed with spears and bows"

"When you say "giant", exactly how big are we talking about?"

"I'd say about the size of a large dog, if not as big as an adult person. The centipedes are definitely way bigger than a human, though" He explained while recalling the size of the cave-dwelling creatures as best as he could, which unfortunately seemed to discourage more than a few "Even so, fighting them should be no different from fending off those raptors that attacked the Weathertop! I know we can do it!"

The blue students then began to whisper among each other, although this time it seemed to be more in favor of Alex as he could faintly hear a few of them say how he made a good point. After defeating them for the first time the raptors became much more careful, attacking only those who would venture out to gather berries and fish. Thanks to Angela's plan of forming small groups armed with spears, hatchets and makeshift shields to act as "protection" the predators would always be fended off with bites and claw marks being the most common injuries but no deaths on the student's side, eventually their attacks became less and less frequent up until the raptors became nothing but something of an afterthought to the students in their daily survival routine.

This train of thought was quickly spreading among the students and Angela didn't hesitate to try and boost this mood of confidence even further.

"He's right! We also have the metal spears and tools Olivia made for us along with Alex's experience from already fighting his way through one of the caves!" She confidently stated while looking at those around him "I'm sure we can get that artifact if we prepare well enough!"

"Alright! So who's with me?" Asked Alex once more.

Silence remained for a bit longer as, although they were indeed more motivated, jumping head-first into a dark cave full of monsters wasn't exactly something anyone would do that easily.

"I'll go!" Stated Milly while taking a step forward.

To everyone's surprise, the first one to take on the offer was Milly herself. Many students looked at eachother in confusion and surprise as they didn't expect her to help Alex, even the sportsman himself didn't expect her of all people to be the first to step up.

"Don't go thinking I'm trying to get all friendly with you here, I don't trust you" She said to him with a rather nasty glare "I'm just going so I can make sure you don't let that guy run off with the artifact if he happens to show up"

"We don't know if he's even gonna go to that cave at the same time we do, or if he's even gonna go at all" Replied Alex, not even trying to hide how the blue student's statements were starting to tick him off.

"If he _does_ go I'm gonna make sure I'll be the one taking that artifact..."

The way Milly held her spear tightly in both hands when speaking of her intent to be the one to get the artifact at all cost was rather concerning to Alex yet her skill with that very weapon would definitely make her a valuable fighter in the cave. Unfortunately she seemed to be the only one willing to sign up so far from among the crowd.

"Oh! I'll go! I wanna go!" Said Olivia with sudden excitement while getting up on her feet with the map in one hand.

"A-Are you sure about that?" Asked Alex before trying to take a different approach "No, I mean. I appreciate the enthusiasm and all but we need people that know how to fight"

"Ah-hah! Bet I totally don't look the part but I know my way around a fight!" Stated the mechatronic's student with a puffed chest and both hands on her hips before doing a thumbs up gesture with her left hand "Not to mention I've been working on building a crossbow using a few blueprints I sto-I mean-borrowed from that old guy back at the Golden Hesperonis!"

"(She was about to say "stole", wasn't she?)" Thought both Angela and Alex while sweat dropping.

"That cave should make for a perfect field test for the prototype model I've been working on, not to mention..." She continued before taking her monkey wrench out of the holster on her belt and tossed up slightly into the air, allowing it to spin in mid-air a few times before grabbing it and showing it to Alex "My hard 8" inch baby's a champ at pounding baddies! So I'll be fine even if the prototype breaks!"

"We-Well, she does seem pretty confident at least..." Said the blue flower with a weak smile, attempting to see the bright side "But I gotta say, I didn't think you'd be so willing to put yourself in that sort of risk for the sake of others students"

"Well, to be honest I don't really care about the blue students or other students in general all that much" Replied Olivia while totally clueless about the crowd of blue students sweatdropping behind her before her eyes began to glitter with excitement "What I _do_ care about though is getting a good look at that artifact and those "black technology" walls I heard so much about!"

"Hey, now..." Said Angela, feeling her fellow student was probably being a bit _too_ honest at the moment.

"Ahhhh!~ Just thinking about getting to see all that super advanced technology first-hand and up-close without any restraints is already making me all giddy on the inside!~"

While Olivia placed both hands on her upper arms and shuffled around on the spot everyone around her simply looked at her while sweatdropping.

"Friggin' weirdo..." Mumbled Milly to herself with a clearly unamused expression.

"Riiiiiiight...So, anyone else?" Asked Alex in an attempt to bring back focus into the cave exploration while looking around him.

"I'll go too!" Said Lily, finally breaking her thoughtful silence as she stepped closer to Alex and the others.

"Lily?

The sporstman and the blue flower looked at her with a mixture of surprise and concern, yet this did not discourage her in the least. Though both of them remained initially quiet, the red-headed blue student didn't hesitate to voice out what she thought.

"He asked for someone who knows how to _fight_ , not how to make glorified doodles" Said Milly with both arms crossed.

The purple flower lowered her head slightly before looking up again with a determined look.

"I know I'm not as good as everyone else when it comes to fighting but I've been working really hard to get better at it! I want to help out!"

Alex looked at her in the eye for a moment or two. Although he spent plenty of time going back and forth between the Weathertop and the Redwoods he caught glimpses of Lily practicing with a spear and a bow and arrow nearly everyday during their stay there, sometimes even receiving a lesson or two from Jerico whenever he dropped by to visit. He could not deny she was working hard to improve but it still didn't remove his concern about it.

Even so it still didn't change the fact she, alongside Milly who did it only out of distrust towards him and Olivia who was only interested in the technology itself, was one of the few people who willingly offered to brave the cave.

"I get it. In that case we'll be counting on you" Said the sportsman while looking at her with a smile, the Purple flower's expression becoming brighter as she nodded while beaming at him.

"I'll do my best!"

After that Alex waited for a bit longer to see if anyone else was willing to offer up before two other male students also chose to join in well. The first being a student with short black hair carring another spear called Terry and the second a student with clear-brown chin-lenght messy hair carring a bow and arrow called Rascal.

"Alright then, so the team for the cave expedition will be Alex, Milly, Lily, Terry and Rascal" Said Angela while keeping count of the team members.

"Also Rick should be coming back from the Golden Hesperonis tomorrow in the morning" Mentioned Alex "If Jerico drops by with him I'll try and ask for help, but I can't really make any promises"

"If that's the case, then I'll ask him with you" Replied the blue flower "We're the ones who need his help this time after all"

The sportsman nodded in agreement to her before turning his head to look at the skies, his mind wondering what were Rick and Jerico doing right now. Had they managed to find some useful information as well?

He kept lingering on these thought among the peace and quiet of the Weathertop while on complete contrast the sounds of yelling and gunshots filled the air of the bar both Jerico and Rick were in right now. Bullets flying all over the place, wood and crystal bottles shattering from the impact and bystanders screaming as they ran away in fear while the cowboy-ish man hid behind a pilar and the sailor took cover behind a wooden table.

"Keep your head down sailor-boy or these Woombats are fair dinkun gonna turn it into swiss cheese!" Yelled Jerico before shooting his crossbow at the assailants dressed in black-chitin armor.

"Seriously, how the hell did things turn out like this!?" Replied the sailor with one hand over his head.

* * *

 ***Scene***

* * *

Before the chaotic shooting within the city of the golden bird took place both Jerico and Rick were in search of any information they could find about cave locations, the cowboy-ish man tried asking around at the open markets where he usually sold some spare goods from hunting such as animal claws, teeth and horns for craftsmanship and sometimes bought supplies such as Wetstones or coal, Rick on the other hand didn't have as much knowledge or connections so he mostly relied on the chemistry professor, who even now attempted to keep a low profile after that incident from last month, to either share any information he might have overheard while managing the gun shop or point him at random bars around the city where he knew there would be lots of gossiping amongst traveling merchants, bodyguards and mercenaries alike.

Most of the time the sailor attempted to present himself as just another hired gun looking for work while asking the bartenders for any jobs related to guard duty for spelunking expeditions. Many bartenders usually gave him the cold shoulder and gave hardly useful answers but others were more willing to cooperate, sometimes at a small price, and told him about the random miner groups going around in search of metals or flint yet none of them seemed to hint at caves that could contain artifacts.

"Damn it! This is turning into a wild goose chase, isn't it!?" Complained the sailor with frustration as he walked down the street with Jerico.

"No need to blow your top off just yet, sailor boy" Said the cowboy-ish man, trying to keep a positive mindset "This is a pretty big as city. We're bound to find something if we keep at it"

"I get what you mean, but at this rate it'll take us months to find any info about another cave..." Replied Rick while looking forward.

The sailor was nowhere near close to giving up, but this constant grind of searching around and then coming up empty-handed was starting to get dispiriting. Searching around relying purely on luck was easily one of the most ineficient methods one could use, so much that he felt like it would take years before he and the others managed to track down all the artifacts, let alone collect all of them.

"So did you find anything on your side, Jerico?" He asked in an attempt to try and not think about his lack of luck at information gathering and partially hoping the cowboy-ish man was better favored by luck than him.

"Sorry mate, I'm dry like a poor man's wallet at the end of the month." Replied Jerico with one hand on his hat and his eyes closed with slight dissapointment in himself "I even went and asked a few hooligans I know from back in the day and they didn't know shit. Either no one knows about them creepy as caves or those that _do_ know keep their mouths shut about it tighter than a butthole after a meal of fried rice"

Rick couldn't help but wonder why would people hide information about the artifact caves when they could be the key to escaping the island but before being able to do so the sailor walked past a person wearing a hooded cloak made of hide, at first it didn't really catch his attention as he got closer yet the moment they walked past each other he caught sight of the stranger's face under the hood. Only for a moment did his eyes see it but he didn't fail to notice the familiar face of Max.

"(Huh?)" He thought to himself while suddenly coming to a halt and looking over his shoulder "(Was that...?)"

At first he was hesitant wheter that was the resentful blue student or not but the one thing that made him certain of it was that upon lowering his gaze slightly he took notice of a Dodo following closely behind him just as it always did. Despite seemingly standing out like a sore thumb right now the constantly moving amounts of people in the street made him completely fail to notice its presence until now.

"Hm? What's wrong sailor boy?" Asked Jerico who was too distracted talking about the information search to notice Max and Wilson as they walked by.

"Hey, Jerico. You see that guy on the hide cloak being followed by a Dodo?" Asked back Rick while pointing at the young man "I think that's that Max guy"

"Fair dinkum?"

The cowboy-ish man turned his head to look at him. During his time in the Golden Hesperonis he saw many people dressed in hide cloaks and just as many people with Dodos on cages but seeing a person with a hide cloack being followed around by a Dodo out of the bird's own volition like that was certainly a first.

"Well would you look at that? It's dodo boy!" He said with a mixture of surprise and joy while smiling.

Jerico raised one hand to catch the young man's attention but before he could call out to him Rick stopped him by placing one hand on his shoulder and quickly pulling him into an alley where the two of them could get away from sight, just in time to avoid being spotted by Max as he turned his head to look behind his shoulder.

"Strewth!" Exclaimed Jerico in surprise "What's the matter mate!? Wasn't that Dodo boy?"

"It's _exactly_ because it's him that I didn't want him to see us" Replied Rick while peeking over the alley.

"Hey, now. I get it you two ain't exactly mates but don't ya think that's still a bit mean?" Asked the cowboy-ish man.

"No, it's not because of that!" Argued the sailor without getting his sigh away from Max "Just think about it for a moment. That guy absolutely _hates_ being around people and those black-raptor mercenaries still want his head on a platter so why would he be here?"

"Cause he's digging around for cave information too?" Asked Jerico once more.

"Exactly! And wheter he has information or not there's no way he'll willingly tell us about it!" Explained Rick with confidence in his theory "So I say we follow him and see where he goes"

"I mean, I get what you mean and all but what about muscle boy?" He asked, this time putting Alex into the spotlight "Don't you think he would get pretty pissed off if he knew we saw Dodo boy and didn't even try talking to him?"

Rick hesitated for a moment or two before answering, not because he felt guilt about it but rather because he could already imagine having to go through another argument with Alex. Of course, eyes that didn't see were also a heart that didn't feel and he knew that.

"That's _if_ he knows we saw him" Replied the sailor before looking at Jerico and trying to make it sound less worse "Lo-Look! We'll follow him, see if we learn something useful and _then_ if things go okay we'll try talking to him okay? And if not we'll just keep it a secret. Not like telling him would help in any way"

"If you say so..."

Jerico clearly wasn't fully on the same wavelength as Rick but seemingly agreed to his idea nonetheless and the two of them began to tail the young man and his Dodo as they walked down the streets before eventually going into a pub. The two men waited for a minute before going in as well and quickly searching for a secluded table to spy on Max as he approached a table where a man dressed in dark brown hide clothes was sitting down, seemingly looking left and right as if fearing he was being followed at every turn. Both Rick and Jerico had to make sure not to look in their general direcction just to avoid being spotted by him.

"Took you long enough..." Croaked the man with his head lowered and eyes still going from one side to the other as Max sat down and took his hood off "You got the coin?"

Max didn't say a word but instead untied a small bag from his belt and lifted it up to face level with his right hand, lifting it up and down to cause the many Hespis stored within to shuffle around and clank against each other. With widened eyes the man extended his arm slightly with an open palm to receive it yet was surprised upon seeing Max lower the bag out of his sight rather than handing it over.

"The information first. Then you'll get your coin" Said Max with his glare focused on him.

The hoarse-voiced man didn't seem all too pleased about it but didn't took to long to shuffle around his duffle bag and pull out a worn out, makeshift booklet with a map and some notes on it before putting it on the table and sliding it forward to allow Max a good look.

"Here, now pay up!" Demanded the man wearing hide clothing with an impatient tone.

Max looked at the booklet for a moment or two before putting the bag of hespis on the table next to it. Right away the man took the bag and opened it to look at the coins stored within, he then pulled one and turned it around before scratching and even bitting down on it prior to taking another look at the spot where he bit down and smiling with satisfaction.

"Where did you get this from?" Asked Max, who now received a surprisingly more cooperative response from the shady man who had his pay.

"From a mining merchant. He and his group went down into the cave with a bun'cha hired muscle to mine obsidian. Good stuff, oily pigs over at the monkey bussiness house pay top hespis for it but hard to find n'less you go underground tho..." He explained while putting the coin back in the small bag and wrapping it on his own belt "Group got jumped on by bugs. Lucky bastard was the only one that made it back alive, the others got ripped appart by the cave critters"

"I see..." Concluded the young man.

While Max looked at the notes in the booklet, Rick and Jerico whispered to each other.

"Hey, what's all that about Obsidian?" Asked the sailor.

"It's a glossy black metal used to make polymer. You can build lots'a high-tech stuff like industrial machinery or fridges and even advanced weapons like assault rifles and rocket launchers" Explained the cowboy-ish man "Heard a few rumors saying the fat fish over at the council upped the price for it through the clouds cause they wanna start gearing up big time for when the new legion comes to bring in the fight once they're done cleaning house with the northern tribes"

"Wait...So the new legion wants to start a war with this city?"

"The new legion wants to go to war with everyone that's not them, sailor boy. That's why everyone's shitting their pants about the rumors" Answered Jerico "Told'ya before, those dipsticks are a brutal tribe, and once the fight starts the entire redwoods is going to turn into a warzone"

Rick broke a cold sweat as he imagined it. Dozens of people ridding on top of all types of war beasts, hundreds of bullets and explosives flying all over the place as both sides relentlessly massacred each other for days or even months with no clear end in sight. If surviving was a struggle now, then this war would definitely make it far more difficult especially for those who got caught up in between such as the trader groups or even random survivors exploring the island.

"Kyah!"

A womanly screech suddenly caught the attention of both men along with the hoarse-voiced informant and even caused Max to look over his shoulder before a young woman dressed in what seemed to be a waitress's outfit suddenly fell towards the table where both of them where sitting at, causing the former to suddenly jump off in a panic while the latter remained relatively calm.

"Ya bitch! What kinda shithole is this!?" Yelled an angry man dressed in black chitin armor to the waitress who leaned over the table "I ordered beer and you bring us piss!?"

"We-We're sorry! Our preserving bin broke and we couldn't afford to fix it yet!" Cried out the waitress before being pulled by the hair "Uwah!"

"To hell with ya stupid bin! I want my cold beer!"

The man shook the waitress around violently by the head as she began to tear up from the pain of her hair being pulled, her eyes looked around before meeting with Max's. The look she gave to him was without mistake that of someone begging for help yet the young man hardly showed any interest before facing forward once more without giving a single care about her, much to her dismay.

Those around the pub didn't seem all too likely to try being heroic as the man was wearing the notorious black raptor company logo on his armor and was not only accompanied by a squad that was most likely armed, but he also had a clearly visible gun on his belt.

"Look at me when I'm talking ya dumb whore!" barked the man dressed in black chitin before punching her right in the stomach hard enough to blow the air right out of her lungs and make her fall down to her knees.

The waitress coughed as she gasped for air on the floor before turning her head once more towards Max, her voice cracked and her eyes swelling up with tears of pain and fear.

"Ple...Please...Help me...Help...!"

Despire her cries the young man didn't move an inch or even bothered looking at her. Seeing he would be able to go by uninterrupted by no man the mercenary walked closer to the waitress and once more reached out to grab her, though he was shocked by the Dodo that suddenly tried to peck at his hand while getting in between him and the woman, both of them looking at the bird in disbelief as it shrieked in an attempt to try and be menacing.

"What the-!? A Dodo!?"

The customers around the pub looked in surpise and confusion at the scene taking place. Where no men had the mettle to interfere a small Dodo stood up without a single shred of doubt.

"The fuck's a Dodo doing here? Did it break out of the kitchen or something?" Asked the mercenary before swinging his leg at it to scare it away, yet Wilson did not back off "Get outta here you lil' shit! Shoo, shoo!"

Though he showed little care in regards to the waitress Max reacted in a split second upon seeing the Dodo in harm's way. Without even giving the mercenary any time to react he dashed off his seat and delivered a powerful elbow strike right in the face, the impact being so sudden and powerful he was pushed back a couple of steps before staggering and falling on his rear.

"Guhagh!?"

"Cap'n!?" Cried out the rest of his squad in surprise and shock before approaching him "Cap'n! You okay!?"

"Get off you dumbasses! I'm fine!" Snarled the captain of the black raptor squad while shoving away the other mercenaries and getting back up on his feet, he claimed to be unharmed though the blood pouring out of his nose and the cut on his upper lip said otherwise "Why you-The hell you think you playin' at, huh!?"

"Don't touch the bird..."

"Huh?"

"I said" Repeated Max while shooting a vicious glare at the mercenary "Don't touch the bird..."

The squad of mercenaries and the waitress looked at him with confusion before one of the squad members suddenly recognized Max.

"Ah...Ah!?" He cried out in shock and panic while pointing at him "It's 'im! It's the Dodo guy that killed our last Cap'n!"

"Ah! You're right, it's him!" Added another squad member "Bastard killed our Cap'n while we were out partying!"

The black raptor mercenaries quickly stepped back and remained wary of him while their captain was not intimidated in the least, if anything he just found this piece of information more than convenient enough.

"So he's the chump that put Shiz six feet under?" He asked before putting both fists up to face level and smirking viciously, then dashing forward at him "I was already planning to kill 'im good anyway so it works for me!"

Without wasting even a second the mercenary lounged at him to land a straight jab right at Max's face but the latter moved sideways to dodge the attack along with the following jabs that followed. During one jab he opened his hand to try and grab him but only got to pull on the young man's hide cloack and tear it off of him, revealing the dark-green chitin armor he wore over a set of hide clothing painted in a camo pattern, this included the piece of cloth he wore over his head. Unlike most armors of this type he had no chitin plating on his upper arms or legs to help him be faster on his feet and he wore a hide belt with a few pouches on the back. Another interesting detail was the odd gadget he wore on his left bracer.

"A speedy one, ain't cha!?"

The captain kept tossing different combinations of jabs and hooks from left or right without giving any time for retaliation yet not one of them managed to touch the young man as he was too fast to hit. He was quick and relentless but in comparison to Alan this mercenary's fists were much easier to predict as he relied mostly on basic brute strength rather than finesse and technique like the one-armed man's style that combined self defense and martial arts techniques.

"(Remember kid, if you're fighting someone who knows how to toss a good hook or two then let them sweat a little first, get used to their speed. And once they're tired, go in for the kill!)" Recalled Max as Alan's voice echoed in his mind "(Tire them out...And then strike!)"

After a moment or two of the constant barrage the captrain's breathing was starting to get a bit heavier and his fists slowed down a little, this was the moment to strike back.

"(Now!)"

Without wasting time Max put up both fist at face level and moved forward, dodging one final jab before delivering a powerful left hook to the mercenary's face followed by another one from his right one and then his left hook once more, repeating this process a few times and staggering him before dodging one random attempt at retaliation and resmuing his relentless counterattack. The final fist pushed him back and to the floor once more.

"Cap'n!?"

"Fu-Fuck! Get him, boys!" He ordered to his squad members, which were more than ready to jump into the fight.

The mercenaries quickly lounged at him together but unlike the one in charge they were notably slower and clumsier when attacking, mostly relying on trying to tackle him down or using very basic frontal jabs. With that said, they still had the advantage of overwhelming him with numbers which helped even out the odds.

"Well would'ya look at that...Guess dodo boy's been no wombat since last we saw him, eh?" Said Jerico with surprise.

"(Where the hell did he learn to fight like that!?)" Thought the sailor in awe at the crystal clear difference between last time and the current fight.

Both men looked at him as he fended off the mercenaries by dodging or punching them away before seeing one pick up a chair and lounge at him with it.

"Dodo boy, behind you!" Yelled Jerico, yet this was too late as when Max turned his head to look at Jerico the mercenary smashed the piece of wooden furniture against his back.

The young man got pushed forward by the impact and fell against a table, making those sitting in it jump away in fright as the man who smashed the chair on his back dropped the now broken pieces of wood on the ground and put both hands on Max's back to pull him up, yet at the same time Max took hold of a wooden mug half-full of booze and smashed it against his head after quickly turning around to face him.

"Ple-Please stop! You're destroying my pub!" Cried out the bartender as he hid under the counter "Th-the city guards! Someone call the city guards!"

As the fight kept raging on things became worse. The customers kept running away in fear of getting caught up in between while the captain decided enough was enough and pulled out his revolver to shoot at Max, the moment he did this Jerico quickly took hold of his crossbow and shot a bolt at him and hit the gun just as he pulled the trigger. This impact caused the weapon to divert to the left, making the bullet miss its target and instead hit a direbear head mounted on the wall.

Upon noticing this the captain turned his attention to both Jerico and Rick before opening fire at them, causing the former to take cover behind a wooden pillar while the latter turned the table and hid behind it.

"Oh shit!" Snarked Rick as he took cover.

"You guys! Enough messing around!" Ordered the mercenary to his squad "Shoot them up good!"

The other black raptor mercenaries did as told and pulled out their own revolvers, yet upon doing so the city guards stormed into the place with rifles in hand.

"Golden Hesperonis guards! Put the guns down!"

In a stroke of panic one of the mercenaries turned his gun at the guards and opened fire, hitting one in the arm and making him fall to the floor. The guards instantly reacted by opening fire on them as well and causing the whole pub to turn into a three-way battlezone between the city guards, the black-raptor mercenaries and Max, Rick and Jerico who got caught up in between.

"You gotta be kidding me! Why does this keep happening!?" Cried out Rick in frustration.

"Stay down sailor boy! Bullets are flying around like flies on a cow's ass!" Yelled Jerico over the seemingly endless gunfire as the captain of the mercenary squad kept firing at him and he attempted to retaliate by shooting arrow bolts back.

In the midst of the chaos Max leaped behind cover alongside Wilson.

"(Shit! I need to get out of here!)" He thought to himself while peeking over the side at the shootout taking place "(Where's that booklet!?)"

The young man looked around desperately before eventually seeing the priced book containing the information he needed. Unfortunately the earlier fight plus the current chaos caused it to be tossed around the place as the table got flipped over, making it land relatively close to where Rick and Jerico were at the moment. Unfortunately for him the sailor who also noticed the booklet didn't hesitate to drag it behind cover as he was aware of the valuable information within its pages.

Looking quickly at the small map stored within he saw a big red dot drawn on one of the islets east of the Weathertop's position. Taking out his own map of the island he quickly drew a dot on the same location and then stored it back in his pocket before closing the booklet and taking it.

"Hey, sailor boy! We gotta bounce outta this place before more guards show up!" Called Jerico without diverting his gaze away from the people shooting at them "Punishment gets real nasty around these parts if there's injured or dead guards involved!"

"What do you suggest then!?" Asked Rick while turning to look at him "We're pretty much pinned down by bullets here!"

Jerico looked around the bar for a way to escape or to at least create an opening before seeing most of the gunfire was focused to the right-side of the pub while the left was relatively calm.

"Follow me, mate! We gotta make it quick!"

Rick nodded in agreement before the two of them went from cover to cover, steadily heading towards the "calmer" side of the pub though stray bullets did bounce over there every now and then. As silent as they attempted to be they were not alone as Max quickly trailed behind them alongside Wilson.

"Through the window! We'll escape using the alleys!"

Waiting for the right chance Jerico ran towards the window facing the alley and jumped right through it before being followed by Rick. He quickly jumped while feeling bullets flying all too close to comfort as he ran out of cover, the landing was not all too bad but by the time he got back up on his feet and saw Jerico the sailor was quickly pulled down into the ground again after being tackled by Max. The two then struggled on the floor as the young man attempted to take the booklet yet Rick refused to let go of it until he felt something sharp pressing against his neck.

Max pulled out his dagger and put it against his throat with one hand still held tightly against the booklet.

"Dodo boy!" Called out Jerico, now aiming his crossbow at him with a torn look on his face "Last thing I wanna tell muscle boy when I see him is that I shot you, so don't make me!"

Both looked him as Max remained still for a moment or two before Rick slowly let go of the priced object. The young man replied to this gesture by slowly moving the dagger away from Rick's neck and getting up on his feet. The sailor got back up as well while looking at him walk away and placing the booklet in one of his pouches.

A short silence took place before Jerico put down his crossbow with a sigh of relief, then looked at Max as he took a hold of Wilson and peeked over at the main street before making a run for it.

"There! One of them is trying to escape!"

Both men then quickly ran down the alley to escape the whole mess while Max on the other hand ran down the streets packed with people to escape from the guards. Many looking in confusion and some in fear as they heard the yelling and gunshots in the distance, though the guards chasing after him refrained from using firearms since they would risk shooting a random passerby.

Sliding between crowds of people or pack animals and jumping over boxes or streets stands, he kept going at full speed with Wilson under his arm as the two guards chased behind him. Eventually he ran into an alley but knew it wouldn't be enough to lose them.

"(Might as well give this thing a try...)" Thought the young man while looking at the gadget on his bracer and then at the edge of the ceiling "(This better work, old man!)"

Using his arm as a guide and the reticle on top of it he aimed at the edge of the celing to his left before pushing the button on the back of the barrel. This caused a small metal container with sparkpowder to ignite and make the grappling hook on the front be shot out all the way up to rooftop where it stuck against an opening in the wood.

Hoping with every second the rope wouldn't snap he began to climb up the wall before getting up on top of the random building and from there ran accross rooftops as the confused guards kept going down the alleyway. Rather than risking an escape through the usual street entrance he headed off towards the large roads used by brontosaurus cargo transport tames and hid among the boxes covered by hide mantles. The slow but steady ride eventually made it's way out through the behemoth gates and out into the wild where was now free to climb down the bronto's leg before running off to the place where he hid his tame and headed back to Alan's hideout with the information.

* * *

 ***Scene***

* * *

The following day Alex and the others waited for Rick to return yet the sailor nor the cowboy-ish man showed even an hour after the time they agreed to return. The sportsman didn't mind waiting longer than that but Milly and the other blue students were growing too impatient, forcing them to leave without the two men while Angela promised to tell them where to find the cave when they arrived.

It took a lot of persuading but Alice was eventually convinced to stay with the blue flower and Sally, though she did so reluctantly as she didn't like being around the blue students at all because of what an awful group of people they were, according to her own words at least. Angela couldn't deny the little girl's words were a little harsh yet she couldn't really blame her for it either as she had not been given any reason to think otherwise up until now.

After departing from the Weathertop crossing the rivers and jungles took its fair share of time as it had to be done on foot. The Parasaur was a magnificent mode of transportation but it certainly wouldn't be able to carry five people at once and no doubt more arguing would take place if some could ride while others had to walk so to save the trouble they left it behind, hoping it might at least serve as distraction for Alice on the meantime.

Hours passed by as they traveled and ocasionally stopped to rest before finally reaching the location marked down on the map. Just as the female student described it the area looked like a passageway with cliffs on each side filled with lush vegetation.

"Hey! I think I found it over here!" Said Rascal while waving his hand up in the air at the others.

Everyone quickly approached and with Alex's help he moved the vegetation hiding the entrance aside to reveal a hole that seemed to go deeper underground, the faint sounds of screeching could be heard coming from within which made the blue student trio take a step back yet the sportsman took that as confirmation this was indeed the right place and stepped in before the others followed behind.

Darkness began to take over with faint luminosity coming from a few mushrooms placed here and there but that hardly helped with visibility. Fortunately the group brough a few torches along.

"He-Hey...You sure this is a good idea?" Asked Terry with his hands holding tightly onto his spear.

"You guys were the ones that didn't want to wait, remember?" Replied Alex without diverting his attention from the path forward while illuminating it with a torch.

"Those sounds are creeping me out man!" Commented Rascal while looking around him in search of the echoing screeches.

"Shu-shut up, you two! Stop making such a ruckus!" Snarled Milly while turning to look at the two scared blue students.

"You say that but you're scared too, aren't you!?" Snarled back Terry.

"I'm getting nervous because you two dumb bastards won't shut the hell up!"

"You three! Keep quiet!" Whispered Alex while turning his head to look at the trio "If you keep making so much noise you'll attract every single monster in the cave!"

The blue students suddenly became silent as they heard the sportsman's warning yet this only seemed to make them even more anxious, and this only became worse as a new sound echoed against the walls of the cave. Unlike the screeching this one was lower and more prolonged yet also more contstant as it stopped and then resumed in a rythmic manner.

After walking down a slope and looking around they found the source of the sound, a Megalosaurus was curled up on the ground just a short distance away from them, resting right under the ledge next to the slope they used to descend. Panic quickly spread among the group before Alex turned at them and gestured to remain quiet.

"Everyone, calm down!" He whispered to the others "It's okay! It's sleeping! Look!"

Everyone remained fully on guard yet the lack of response from the Megalosaurus slowly helped them regain their composure. The great lizard didn't get up or even bother looking at them despite their presence or despite being iluminated by the torch's light, proving without a doubt that it was sound asleep.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Whispered Milly with her spear still pointed at it "I thought you said there where only giant bugs in these damn caves!"

"It's a Megalosaurus. I've seen one before, but there wasn't any in the cave I went to" Explained Alex while looking at the sleeping creature "I heard from Jerico that they're nocturnal, so this one probably came into the cave to sleep during the day"

"He looks like he's sound asleep..." Added Lily, who felt a very strong urge to draw it and possibly pet it if it weren't for the fact the creature definitely wouldn't take being touched while sleeping very kindly.

"Yeah, if by "cute" you mean friggin' creepy" Commented Milly.

"Look, just stay away from it and don't make any loud noises. Believe me, you don't want to wake this guy up" Interrupted the sportsman before facing forward again "Come on, I see a path over here"

The group kept looking at the sleeping Megalosaurus for a moment or two before following Alex while trying to be as quiet as possible. The snoring of the nocturnal lizard steadily became more faint the futher away they got, which was more than a welcome relief to the group.

"Hey, Lily...I bet you _totally_ wanted to draw that big guy sleeping, didn't cha?" Asked Olivia with a smirk, causing the purple flower to smile with an embarassed blush.

"Ah! Tha-That's...!" She replied while scratching her left cheek with her index finger and looking away with a weak smile.

"(I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to pet it too)" Thought the sportsman while sweat dropping before noticing the path ahead split in half.

There were currently two paths, one to the left and another to the right. Neither one seemed all too diferent from the other but the doubt wheter one would lead to a dead-end or to much more danger than the other lingered in his head.

"Why way do we go now? There's two paths" Asked Rascal while alternating between looking at one and the other.

"I'm not sure, both look pretty identical" Replied the sporstman before looking at the left path "Let's try going this way first. If we don't find anything we'll come back and take the other way"

"Hey, wait a minute! How do you know that's not where the screeching's coming from!?" Questioned Terry this time.

"Well, judging by the sound I'd say we're bound to run into those super sized bugs wheter we go left or right" Intercepted Olivia before lifting her crossbow slightly "Besides, I'm itching to test out my new baby here so bring on the buggers!"

"You really are a friggin' weirdo" Said Milly with an unamused expression.

"Thanks, I try my best!"

"That was _not_ a compliment!"

"Cut it out already. If we get attacked by the bugs we need to focus on working together" Asserted Alex "Besides, if we run into them it means we're definitely getting closer to the artifact"

Milly clicked her tongue before following after Alex, though the group stopped at a more or less well illuminated area with a high ledge that seemed to lead down further into the cave yet it was also crawling with giant scorpions, spiders and centipedes alike at the bottom. Fortunately they didn't seem able to climb up the steep cliff, though this didn't stop the blue students from being filled with a mix of terror and disgust at their presence.

Turning away from the ledge they found another path leading further down and followed it, eventually reaching a more open area with a large lake running along the edge of the cave wall. Unlike earlier portions of the cave there were crystal with a bright glow and a few holes on the ceiling from which sunlight crept in, making this area so well lit there was no need to use torches.

Following the path ahead Alex and the others eventually came upon a more lush, green area. This was were the group finally came upon the cave-dwellers, they put up a good fight and gave the blue students quite a fright yet much to Alex's surprise and confusion they were much fewer in number than he expected. Though he didn't think for too long about this as, much to Olivia's delight there was a wall of pulsating technology which she approached so quickly one might think she was a puma leaping towards its prey.

"Oahhhhhh! Finally, finally I get to see the cave technology with my own eyes and touch it with my own two hands!" Marveled the blue student with a blissful tone while touching the unkown, pulsating wall "No good, I can't tell what this material is at all but I can definitely tell it's the same as the obelisks and artifacts...But what's with this pulsating energy coming out of it? It's similar to the artifact yet so much stronger. Maybe an EMP? But what would it be for then? Oh, I need to know! I need to figure out how to pry open this big hard boy!"

"Hey, Olivia! Stop being so loud or you'll more of them!" Interrupted the sportsman as he approached her while looked around anxiously yet noticed no bugs in the vicinity besides the few ones they killed "...Huh...How weird..."

"Yeah, I've been saying that for a while now" Commented Milly

"No, I mean the bugs!" Replied Alex while looking at her, then at their surroundings "There should be way more of them than just this coming at us already but I don't see any"

"Maybe they're just all packed up against that ledge we saw earlier?" Asked Rascal "Either way, ain't that a good thing? We get to do less fighting that way"

The blue student made a fair point, less battle meant less danger and a safer spelunking yet Alex couldn't get this odd feeling out of his gut. Why were all those bugs gathered over there at the ledge and not here instead? Was something keeping them away from this lake? And if so then what?

The questions kept lingering in his mind as they kept moving forward before eventually running into a few more bugs, except these ones were already dead. All of them showing deep punctures in their bodies as if someone or something stabbed them or shot them with arrows and then pulled them out. They were not the only ones in the cave.

"Keep your guard up..." Warned Alex as he and the group slowly approached the sounds of screeching just around the corner of a curved tunnel.

Upon peeking over the edge he saw a couple of giant spiders and scorpions lounging at a man dressed in chitin armor who shot at them with a crossbow and stabbed them with the arrow bolts or with what seemed like a knife.

The first idea in his mind was Jerico yet he soon came to realize who he was looking at after noticing the Dodo standing right next to him. Though his clothes were far different from before there was hardly anyone else out there who would willingly bring a Dodo along for an expedition into a cave besides Max.

"That's...Max?"

"Eh? Really?" Asked Lily while peeking over the edge as well, both of them getting a good look at his face as he turned around a few times during the battle "It is him!"

"(Thank goodness...He's still alive!)" He thought with an overwhelming sense of relief and joy.

The first thing that came to his mind after the wave of relief at seeing his friend still alive was to go out and help him yet that desire dropped by a little too late as before he could even move out of hiding the last of the cave bugs was vanquished with a wooden bolt right to the face.

Looking at the dead monsters around him Max lowered his weapon and took a few breaths to recover before suddenly noticing Alex peeking over the corner of the wall and taking aim again.

"Wait, wait! Don't shoot!" Cried out the sportsman while taking a step back and showing both hands to gesture he had no intent to fight "Max, it's me! Alex!"

There was no response from the young man though the fact he didn't shoot him in the hands nor in the head when he peeked out to look at him were definitely a good sign.

With this in mind Alex slowly walked out of cover with both hands in sight, though upon seeing the other members of the group he kept his crossbow up and ready. The sportsman tried to walk closer at first yet this was countered by Max taking a step back, which convinced him to just stay on the spot.

"Max, look. I get it you're angry with me, you totally have every right to but please just let us talk this out" begged Alex, just wanting nothing other than things to be sorted out the peaceful way for once "I don't want to fight you, no one here does!"

"You sure about that?" Asked Max, finally breaking the silence.

Alex wanted to give the reassuring answer right away yet he felt something was off about that question. And he soon came to realize what that feeling was upon hearing Lily's voice.

"Alex!" Cried out the purple flower, urging the sportsman to turn around and see Milly and Terry point their metal spears in Max's direcction while Rascal took aim with his bow and arrow.

Though Alex wished to solve this with words, the blue student trio seemed to have something else in mind.

"He-Hey, you three! What are you doing!?" He questioned while taking a step away from them.

"Exactly what I said I came here to do!" Answered the red-headed blue student with a menacing look in her eyes and her sights set on the young man, the grip on her spear firm and ready "Making sure _we're_ the ones taking that artifact!"

"Wait, stop!" Begged Lily this time though her requests were answered not with words but with the bladed end of Terry's spear getting aimed both at her and at Olivia "Uwah!?"

"Whoa, hey! Don't go pointing the pointy end of your long thing at others!" Added Olivia with both hands up to face level "Didn't they ever tell you trying to undo the maker with their making brings bad luck!?"

"Shut up! All of you shut up already!" Barked Milly with clear anger in her tone "You can fool that miss perfect blue flower Angela, all the other students and even Sally, but I know the truth! I know you assholes were always plotting together to leave us all stuck here while you escaped home by yourselves!"

"We told you already that's not it!"

"Lies! I know you're lying! That guy wouldn't be here if you weren't!"

"That's definitely coincidence!" Replied Olivia to try and explain while she and Lily walked sideways until standing next to the sportsman "You know, random chance! Pure luck!"

"Shut up!" Cried out Milly once more while drawing the spear closer and making the three take a step back "I don't care if you're lying or not! Either way we're not gonna let you and that psycho take the artifact!"

Both Alex and Olivia were struggling to figure out what to say yet the blue student's words brought a long held question back into Lily's mind, one she kept asking herself everytime she heard Milly slander about Max or refer to him.

"Why...Why do you fear him so much?" She asked earnestly.

"What?"

"Lily?"

The whole group, and even Max, looked at her with confusion as she let go of Olivia's shoulder and stood straight while looking at the blue student straight in the eye. Milly was always the one spearheading the rejection of the blue students towards Max, she was the one who yelled the loudest and the hardest against him, and the one who seemed the most intent to push him as far away as humanly possible, no matter the method needed. Despite all of this seemingly hateful rejection, Lily could tell by the look in her eyes. This wasn't hatred, it was fear, overwhelming fear.

"I heard the rumors too, and I know he can act scary or detached sometimes, but I don't think he's as horrible as you make him out to be" She addressed before lowering her gaze slightly and thinning her eyes "After all, a horrible person wouldn't work so hard to protect someone who's weaker than them..."

Silence took over as everyone looked at the purple flower. Even if just a minimally small amount, Max's aim on his crossbow lowered. Even though she was a woman just like "that" person she acted far differently.

Maybe, just maybe...She wasn't the-

"Why, you say..." Muttered Milly with her teeth gritted before crying out loud "Because I was there when it happened! I was there the day he sliced up that senior's face into a bloody mess!"

All eyes widened with shock as they focused now on the blue student, who was shivering while holding her spear closer and lowering her head, her eyes wide as she recalled that day.

"Wait a minute...So then you were with that senior from the green-school?" Asked Alex with disbelief before looking at the two students at her sides "You _knew_ what was happening back then!?"

"Everyone in the blue school knew!" Replied Terry, though with less of a bravado than Milly "Even Angela knew, but she always looked the other way when it happened!"

"We didn't hate him or anything like that, we just didn't want to get involved and have her lash out at us too" Added Rascal "No one imagined he'd go full psycho on her like that!"

The sportman's mind was drawing a blank right now, he was unable to process this new information.

"(All this time...They knew what was going on from the very beginning?)" He tought before thinking about Angela, who always spoke of helping Max and seeing him as one of the blue students "(Even her?)"

"I'll never forget what I saw that day...The blood all over his face and hands, the screams of the senior as she curled up on the floor and the look in his eyes as he held that knife to her face...Those eyes gave me nightmares for years!" She said before looking up with terror at Lily "Those were not the eyes of a human, those were the eyes of a monster! That guy's a monster with a human face!"

The blue student then pointed her spear right at Max who looked with widened eyes at her, the expression utterly distorted by terror shocking even him.

"I don't care what anyone says, I don't care if you have a stupid Dodo for a pet! That'll never change what you are!" She bellowed with a voice that was starting to crack up "I don't deserve to be in this place, Sally doesn't deserve to be in this place! No human deserves to be here but you do! You belong here with these monsters! Because you _are_ a monster just like them!"

Everyone was rendered speechless by this sudden outburst from the blue student. There was always some lingering doubts as to why she was always so predominant in her efforts against Max, but this explosive reaction was far beyond anyone's expectations. Even the two blue students at her side looked at her, unsure how to feel or even think of her at this point.

Eventually, Lily's eyes looked at her with pity.

"You say he's the monster...But the only monster I see here is the one in front of me"

Milly stuttered a few times while looking at the purple flower before finally reaching the breaking point and lifting up her spear with a cry of despair. Lily's eyes widened as he saw the blade at the end of the spear lifted up in preparation to fall down towards her, Olivia quickly took hold of her shoulder to pull her back and Alex was about to yell at her to stop while reaching out to grab her spear with one hand. And yet, all of that came to a sudden dead halt as a loud banging sound echoed all over the cave followed by a thud.

The world froze for merely a few seconds before everyone noticed the blood splattered all over the right side of Milly's face. The blue student touched her cheek to brush off some of the red liquid and look at it before looking down at her feet to see Rascal laying down on the ground, he laid there unmoving with his eyes wide-opened as blood constantly poured out of a gaping hole on the side of his head and pooled around it until reaching her shoes.

"...Eh?"

Suddenly everyone was snapped back into reality as more gunshots were heard and bullets flew inches away from the blue students, hitting the wall instead and forcing them to take cover in a panic.

"Oh shit! Oh my God! What's going on!?" Asked Terry with both hands over his head.

"Those are bullets! Stay behind cover!" Said Alex.

"Wait, stop! Stop! We're humans, not cave monsters!" Yelled out the blue student before attempting to come out into the open until the sportsman stopped him by grabbing the back of his shirt's collar-neck.

"Stop you dumbass! They already know we're humans!"

"Then why are they shooting us!?" Asked Milly while looking at her surroundings.

"Because they obviously want us dead!" Answered the sportsman before taking Olivia's weapon and peeking over the corner of the wall, seeing quite a few men dressed in chitin armor taking cover behind a few rocks.

The assailants had mostly long-neck rifles or revolvers and were about ten or so in number, making things much more difficult for the group as they only had one crossbow and a couple of bows and arrows.

"Max!?" Called out the sportsman while turning his head to see the young man running away deeper into the cave "Damn it! Everyone, run!"

Outmached both in weaponry and numbers the group decided to make a run for it before eventually running into the artifact chamber, though trouble only increased here as Milly instantly charged at Max and forced him away from the artifact by swinging her spear at him with reckless abandon. Alex tried to stop her but the incoming sound of gunshot did the job for him, forcing both to quickly take some distance from the artifact to avoid getting shot.

Turning around he saw the assailants coming closer to peek over the corner of the curved path. There was no time to think about the artifact anymore, they had to get out and they had to do it now.

"Over there!" Said Olivia as she pointed at a small opening on the wall.

Everyone quickly followed after the mechatronics student and crawled their way through the opening that lead to a sepparate chamber. Max initially stayed behind to take the artifact yet the barrage of bullets flying his way made him unable to approach the artifact and ultimately forced him to escape the same way as the others.

When reaching the other chamber and crawling through another opening the group came upon the bottom of the ledge where all the bugs gathered but fortunately managed not to alert them and instead went to the left, heading back into the main path where they would hopefully be able to circle past the armed assailants and escape while they were too distracted with the artifact. Unfortunately they ran into a couple of them who stayed behind.

"Stay put y'all!" Ordered the first one with his rifle at the ready.

"Oh shit!"

"Boss! We found'em buggers!" Called out the second man.

A moment or two later the rest of the assailants came back from the path they took, at the front of them there was a woman with skin as dark as Mocha latte with cropped black hair dressed in black-chittin armor, hers being notably more worn out and faded in a few spots than that of the others alongside sporting a much more prominent white insignia of a leaping raptor drawn on the left side of her chest armor. Max, Alex and Lily recognized the sign as the black raptor company logo. She was also carrying around a more modern-looking automatic pistol on her hand.

The woman looked at all of them, remaining focused on Max for longer than the others before turning her attention to one of her followers.

"Is this the guy?"

"Yeah! That's im' alright boss!" Replied the mercenary while pointing at the young man "He done killed our first cap'n an' then done beat our second cap'n!"

"Good to know" Said the woman before violently smacking the merc in the head with the bottom of her gun.

"Ouwch! Boss, why ya hittin' me!?"

"Be glad I didn't shoot you in the nuts!" Snarled the mercenary boss with her gun pointed at him "What the hell did I tell you dumb bastards about messing with the Golden Hesperonis guards when wearing the armor!? Now we're up to our necks in debt and guess what, it's coming out of all of _your_ salaries!"

The mercenaries grunted in frustration at the news before their leader once again focused on Max.

"And you...What's the big idea, killing and beating up _my_ men? Did you really think that rat you spoke with wouldn't sell you out when I put a gun in his head!?" She asked while taking a step closer to him "You know what happens when you do shit like that? You make them look like even bigger idiots than they already are. And that makes _me_ look like a bad leader, a leader no one's gonna want to hire!"

Max didn't say a single thing in response or even showed any strong reaction while she put the gun dangerously close to his face, which seemed to irritate her.

"Not gonna beg? Fine by me, I was gonna kill you all anyway" She said before walking to the others with the gun pointed closely "What about you people?"

"Your guys attacked us! We were just defending ourselves!" Quickly said Alex in an attempt to defend himself and the others.

"You think I give a damn about what these guys did!?" Snarled the mercenary leader before putting the handgun right against his cheek "If anything, I pay them _exactly_ because that's the kind of thing they do!"

"N-No..." Muttered Milly while shivering and tearing up, which caught the attention of the woman and caused her to walk closer. Though the moment she saw the gun barrel so close to her all attention diverted to the blue student, or more precisely to the liquid flowing down her legs "NOOOOO! ! !"

The red-headed student crouched on the floor with both hands over her head and yelled at the top her lungs, giving even the mercenary leader quite a jumpscare.

"No, no, no! ! I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die! !"

She kept screaming the same words over and over again while shaking her head in a panic.

"Shut up already, you wuss!" Barked the mercenary leader before hitting her with the sole of her boot on the top of the head, effectively making her tone it down.

"He-Hey, boss..." Called out one of her men while pointing sideways "That bird's getting away"

The leader of the black raptor company and everyone else save Milly turned their heads to look at Wilson as it walked off the same way the group came out off after passing through the side-chamber.

"(Wilson?)" Thought the young man as he saw it walk away "(Wait...Is he going to...?)"

"It's just a dumb dodo, forget about it" She said while brushing it off.

During this short moment of distraction Terry quickly took advantage of it by grabbing Olivia by the shoulders and pushing her at the dark-skinned woman, toppling both of them down to the ground. This caused a short lapse during which he ran and jumped into the lake to try and escape as some of the mercenaries attempted to give chase before suddenly stopping when seeing the water was home to a school of piranhas that quickly overwhelmed and tore him appart in a rather grizzly manner. Even some of the mercenaries had to look away as his ear-shattering screams echoed all over the cave until eventually all that remained of him was a pool of red and a half-eaten forearm floating close to the edge of the water.

"Dumb bastard..." Said the mercenary leader with a look of pity and disgust before facing the group again and aiming at them while pushing Olivia back in line "Alright, we already have the artifact to sell. Kill them all"

The black raptor company mercenaries aimed their weapons at the group yet their attention was once again taken away by a sharp shrieking sound. Wilson was running back towards them, though he was not alone as a large pack of giant bugs chased behind him.

"What the hell!?" Said one of the mercenaries as he aimed his gun at the incoming swarm, though before he could open fire a much larger reptilian emerged from the water and caught him in it's jaws, mauling and spinning him around in as grizzly of a manner as the piranhas.

"Shit! No wonder all the bugs kept away from this place!" Yelled the mercenary leader as she saw two more giant crocodiles emerge from the water, attracted by the smell of blood in the water "Sarcos coming in from behind!"

Things quickly devolved into utter chaos as the black raptor company got pincer attacked by the bugs and Sarcos, forcing them to fight for their lives as the group quickly took this chance to try and escape.

"Don't let them get away!"

Max, with Wilson under his arm, ran away ahead of the others as Olivia and Lily tried their best to keep Milly on the move as she was far too paralized by fear to even move by herself at the moment.

Upon reaching the area with the steel ledge a giant four-legged creature suddenly leaped down from the ceiling and lashed out at the group. Alex and the others managed to remain unharmed by the surprise attack but Max got bitten by it in the arm after trying to protect Wilson before chasing it off with a clean stab to the eye.

"Max, are you okay!?" Asked Alex. The young man was breathing a bit heavier than before but nonetheless got up.

"Hey, we need to fly outta this place quick!" Interjected Olivia as she saw some of the mercenaries were already chasing behind them.

Though bleeding quite a bit from his arm Max was able to keep up with the group until suddenly collapsing at the fork in the road.

"Max!?"

The young man's breathing got heavier than before and when coming closer Alex noticed the bitemarks on his arm suddenly swole up.

"Oh shit! Did he get infected from that thing's bite!?"

While looking at his injury a couple of mercenaries caught up to them, yet another surprise awaited for all of them as all the screaming and gunshots woke up the sleeping Megalosaurus from earlier. As expected the creature was quite upset judging by how it brutally attacked one of the mercenaries and flailed it around.

Many things happened at this moment, the carnivore's frenzied flailing and the other mercenary's gunshots caused the group to get split appart, Olivia and Lily getting sepparated as Alex stepped away to avoid getting smacked by the tail. At the same time Max slowly crawled towards the left fork in the road while staggering up to his feet.

Lily quickly followed Max after hearing the Dodo shrieking, though Alex and Olivia were forced to instead run for the exit as the Megalosaurus was already making quick work of the second mercenary and more could be heard approaching. Unfortunately for the purple flower the nocturnal carnivore chose to chase after her instead of Alex and Olivia.

When finally catching up to Max Lily noticed he was on the verge of fainting and barely able to even stand, yet the roar of the monster behind her urged the young woman to act fast.

Seeing Wilson chirp at her before pointing its peak at the water and jumping off she acted out of desperation and tackled the young man into the water where both fell. The Megalosaurus looked down for a moment or two before turning around and heading back to the fork in the road, feeling too groggy for it to be worth a swim.

Shortly after Lily resurfaced while holding onto Max with both arms, barely being able to pull him up due to the sheer weight of his gear. Fortunately there was a small patch of land close-by where she dragged him alongside the Dodo before falling down to the ground herself.

With the young man injured, his condition only worsening by the minute and the sounds of screaming, roaring and gunshots not too far off, Lily could only look up at the ceiling from which sunlight snuck in. She was in no way good enough of a fighter to fend off the bugs or the mercenaries if they swarmed them nor did she know how to treat Max's infected injury, she was pretty much defenseless and clueless right now.

"Wha-What do I do now...?" She muttered to herself while taking deep breaths "What should I do...?"

She closed her eyes and in her moment of fear called out to the first person that came to mind among the darkness.

"Big brother..."


	15. The monster in the mirror

Lily walked down the hallway of her home before reaching the left door at the end of it, she slowly opened the door to peek inside and saw many drawings placed on the walls, some either within a canvas held by a nail while others were simple drawings on paper kept in place by tape, the smell of acrilics lingered quite strongly in the air yet there was an oddly pleasant feeling to it.

Peeking further inside, she soon came to notice a young man dressed in the purple school's uniform minus the blazer sitting down by a desk while working on something. As she walked inside to take a closer look it became clear he was drawing on a purple sketchbook, his mind focused on the task and his eyes showing a mixture of joy and determination as well. That is, until he noticed Lily's presence and turned his head to look at her.

"Oh, back from school already?" He asked with a smile before looking at the sketchbook again "Alright! Just give me a second to get this little guy done and we can get started...Actually, want to take a look while I'm at it? I was thinking about teaching you this today anyway, so might as well."

Lily nodded in agreement before walking closer, though after two or three steps the cheerful young man suddenly spoke, yet this time instead of words she heard him chirping like a bird.

"Bi...Big brother...?" She called out while slowly opening her eyes.

The first thing Lily saw upon waking up was Wilson standing right next to her head while looking straight at her.

"Eh?"

The young woman's eyes widened as they both stared at each other before the Dodo suddenly pecked her in the forehead and forced her into sitting up with both hands on her forehead out of reflex.

"Ouch!" She cried out with teary eyes before turning her head to look at the Dodo "Mr Wilson, that hurt! Why did you-!?"

Before she could even finish her question the purple flower saw Wilson standing next to Max, which made the purple flower suddenly recall what happened before she passed out.

"(Oh no! I remember now!)" She thought to herself before quickly approaching the young man "(Did I pass out!? For how long!?)"

Lily quickly checked out the bitemarks in his arm and surprisingly it didn't swell up much further than when she last checked it, meaning she was probably out for just a couple of minutes. This didn't mean they were out of harm's way just yet as the injury's swelling didn't seem to improve either.

"This is bad Mr Wilson! We need to do something about this!" She commented before turning her head to look at Wilson.

The Dodo got closer to Max's bag and opened it with its beak before pulling out a radio and nudging it at her. The young woman took the communication device and understood Wilson's idea was to call for help.

Though unkowing of who would hear the message or answer it, she decided it was worth a shot and tried talking into it after pressing the button on the side and stretching the antenna. Taking the risk was certainly better than just sitting down and waiting for both of them to die.

"Hello...? Is anyone there...?" She asked hesitantly at first "Please, can anyone hear me!? I need help!"

Nothing but static emerged from the communication device.

"Hello!? Please, I need help!" She repeated once more "Max got hurt and he's not waking up! I think he got infected with something but I don't know what to do!"

Once again static was the only answer she got in return.

"Please...Someone, anyone...!"

The young woman pressed her forehead against the radio and kept begging for help before the static eventually stopped and Alan's voice was heard coming through.

"Well then...Since you asked so nicely" Said the one-armed man over the radio, his voice a little choppy due to interference of bad signal "But you do realize he's not exactly very nice to women, right? He might very well attack you the moment he's up again"

"That's fine with me! Please just tell me what to do!" She begged more earnestly this time, the mixture of determination and desperation in her voice clear even through the choppy communication.

A short moment of silence took place before Lily received an answer to her pleas.

"If that's what you want..." He replied with what felt like a faint relief "On one condition, though. You must promise to not tell anyone about me or that this radio communication ever happened, are we clear?

The Purple flower's expression brightened up as she received hope in the form of Alan's help.

"I promise! I'll keep it a secret!" She promised while nodding her head.

"Then for starters, what happened to the kid?"

"He got bitten by a giant lizard. It was like a very big Iguana and had short legs and suddenly dropped down from the ceiling" Described the young woman before looking at Max's injury "The bite weakened him so much he couldn't even walk properly and his arm is swolen up a lot! He's also sweating a lot and breathing really fast!"

"Hm...Looked like a giant Iguana, dropped down from the ceiling, weakening bite that kicks up infections right away..." Repeated the man to himself before coming to a clear conclusion "No doubt about it, the thing that attacked him was a Megalania. Giant lizards that like to climb up cave walls so they can get the jump on prey and weaken them with their poisonous bite before tearing them appart"

Lily alternated between looking at the radio and at Max himself as he laid down on the ground unconscious.

"Check out inside his bag, there should be a couple of small flasks filled with clear green liquid in there and some cloth bandages" Continued Alan, Lily obeying right away and rummaging inside his bag before coming accross the two flasks "Those are antidotes capable of neutralizing poisons and other toxins. Make him drink one and then drink the other one yourself"

"Eh? I have to drink one too?" She asked while looking at the radio again.

"The Megalania toxins have a much stronger initial weakening effect than the bat's mega rabies but both are just as infectious, Though Megalania toxins take far longer to kill their victim" He explained to her "If he so much as coughs in your general way you're at risk of getting infected too, so better safe than sorry. Also, remember to patch up the wound with the cloth bandage. No point in getting rid of the toxins if he bleeds out"

The young woman looked at both flasks of antidote before turning Max to face up, she gently lifted up his head and uncorked the flask before slowly pouring the antidote into his open mouth. The young man coughed up a few times yet drank up all of the flask's contents without too much issue. She also wrapped the cloth bandage around his wound to avoid any further bleeding or infection before taking the other flask and drinking it down in one go.

"Euwghhhh...It tastes really icky..." She said with a grossed out tone and her tongue out.

"Yeah, well. It _is_ medicine after all" Replied Alan with a more lighthearted tone "Alright then, now all you need to do is wait. Once the antidote kicks in he should be waking up in a couple of minutes, an hour at most"

In accordance to his words Lily decided to sit down and wait, hoping for the best. Almost right away after drinking the antidote Max's fever subsided little by little and his breathing steadily returned to a normal, more calm rythm. The swelling on his arm was still there but at the very least his condition seemed to stabilize.

While keeping an eye on him the young woman suddenly sneezed before shivering on the spot. Up until now she was able to avoid paying too much mind to it due to her panic but their early dip in the water completely drenched their clothes, the cold water seeped into her body like daggers and the chilly winds only made it much worse.

"(No good, I'm gonna catch a cold like this...)" She tought to herself before looking at Max, who was probably doing much worse due to the toxin's weakening effects "(He must be freezing too)"

Lily looked at her own soaked clothes before turning her head to look at her surroundings with swelling anxiety on her chest. This time she knew what to do in order to avoid a cold and even warm up, though this was definitely something that would give people the wrong idea if they were to spot them. Fortunately for the sake of her modesty the roars, gunshots and screams that plagued the cave before she fainted were now almost completely gone and instead replaced by the eerie silence that would occasionally be broken only by the sound of watter dripping down from the ceiling or the occasional screech, though the latter was quite faint.

"(I...I really hope no one sees this...)" She hoped with a blush before taking off her blazer and unbuttoning her shirt.

The young woman kept removing her clothes until all that remained was her plain white pink-ish underwear, like the rest of her clothing they were a little damp but still dry enough to be wearable. She considered the idea of taking both pieces off too at first but quickly brushed off that idea as she feared he might wake up and see her before she could get a change to dress back up. Better to be seen in her underwear than naked, she thought.

Spreading her clothes down on the ground next to her she then looked at Max and gulped down some of her own saliva. This time it was his turn to undress, though he wouldn't be able to do it himself in his current state. She had to do it for him.

"(It's okay, I can do this! I can do this)" Repeated Lily to herself in her mind while kneeling down next to him as the Dodo kept looking intently at her, which made her feel more than a little bit anxious "Pl-please don't tell anyone about this, Mr Wilson!"

Slowly she began by removing the chitin plating which was mostly held together by metal rings that either held two or more pieces together or simply connected to the hide clothing underneath. Once she took off all the chitin she then moved on to the hide camo clothes, though this one required her to take a moment or two to mentally prepare.

Even if her anatomy classes gave her a pretty clear and detailed idea of what to expect stripping a sleeping individual, and one of the opposite gender at that, was still quite a daunting task to undertake. Nonetheless this was for his sake, for Alice's sake. With this in mind she took a deep breath before grabbing the bottom of his hide shirt and pulling it upwards. As expected after a month of working under Alan's demanding training regime the results were not only showing on Max's skills but on his musculature as well. He was leagues away from Alex in terms of raw muscle building but it was clear he was starting to shape up.

Things soon took a turn for the worse as the young woman's expression changed from one of mild curiosity to horror when she turned him around after pulling his arms out of the hide clothing and noticing something odd about his back. There were dozens of scars all over his back, some were long and thin while others small and relatively wide. There were a few bite marks or slash scars in his limbs and even bruises here and there, specially around the face, but none of them compared to these ones. The sheer number and brutality of them gave Lily the frightening idea that they might have been the result of torture or some horrible incident, yet the one thing that caught her attention the most was that these scars seemed to be much older than the other ones, possibly even years older judging by how faded the least noticeable ones were.

One thing was clear. Whatever caused the injuries on his back, it didn't happen in the island.

"How horrible...How did this happen?" She muttered to herself while being plagued by the feeling of a pit forming on her stomach.

Wilson chirped with a notbably sadder and distressed tone while looking at Max's back as well before the young woman tried to focus on what she was doing and resumed the task of removing his remaining clothes until he as well was left with only his underwear. Lily then got on top of him and, slowly, wrapped her arms around his back in an embrace. Their bodies gently pressing against each other to share body warmth as the dodo walked closer and nested itself next to Max's head in an attempt to share some of its own body warmth as well.

Some time went by before Max began to grumble and grunt faintly, which instantly caught Lily's attention and made her move away as she had a good idea of how he would act if he were to see her right on top of him.

At first he opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the cave's ceiling for a few seconds before suddenly springing up to full alert mode while sitting up right away. The young man soon came to realize he had been undressed by looking at his own body and then at long last noticed Lily a short distance away while looking around. He quickly tried to get up and back off, though when attempting to do so his knees suddenly felt weak and forced him right back to the ground.

"Wa-wait, you shouldn't get up just ye-!" Said the young woman while trying to approach him before being suddenly interrupted.

"Stay away!" He interjected quite loudly.

Looking around him in a near-desperate manner Max soon saw his dagger resting alongside his clothes and picked it up before aiming it at Lily with both hands. The weapon shivered uncontrollably in his grasp, but she knew it was not due to the cold.

"Stay away from me...Stay away!" Repeated the young man while backing off into the patch of vegetation behind him.

Lily looked at him for a moment or two while attempting to figure out how to explain what happened earlier to him yet this soon became unnecesary as a chirp from Wilson soon diverted Max's attention to the dodo, which was carrying the radio on his mouth before dropping it at his feet.

"Hey, kid. Easy on the trigger finger now" Said Alan as his voice echoed out of the communication device "Hear me out before you do anything"

Max looked at the radio for a moment or two before picking it up and listening to the one-armed man's explanation of how he got into this situation and how she saved him, all the while he alternated between looking at the radio and at Lily.

"I see..." He said before slowly putting his dagger down, but keeping a tight grip on it nonetheless.

"That matter aside, what happened to the artifact? Did you get it?" Asked the man with a more stern tone than before.

"No, someone else took it." Replied Max "A black woman in black chitin armor. She had a white raptor insignia on her chest and led a large group of mercenaries..."

"Hm...That sounds like Sasha" Concluded Alan "She's the founder and leader of the black raptor company. No one knows exactly how long she's been on the island but she and her group have been making themselves a reputation as a brutal and effective mercenary force over the last couple of years. Many, especially her own mercs, nicknamed her "the raptor queen". Over"

"She said something about Max makin her look bad and that no one would want to hire her if that happened" Called out the young woman while recalling Sasha's own words before going silent as Max gave her a nasty glare.

"The raptor queen is well-known for being not only brutal but very driven as well, it wouldn't surprise me if she took Max beating and killing her thugs twice in a row as a personal offence to her rep and wanted to put his head on a platter" Commented the one-armed man "She probably took the artifact as a little bonus for the troubles"

The young man clicked his tongue with an irritated expression before attempting to get back up again and promptly falling to his knees once more.

"Don't get reckless now, kid. That antidote you drank neutralized the toxins in your body but you'll still need time to recover your strength" Warned Alan with a stern, comanding tone before taking notice of the quiet "Judging by the lack of gunshots on the background I'd say you've got a good chance to rest, use it. Once you're well enough to walk get back to base and make sure to keep the fighting to a minimum"

Max's expression showed he was more than just a little bit frustrated by this outcome. The artifact was taken from between his fingers by the black raptor company due to Milly's interruption, he was poisoned and weakened from a Megalania's sneak attack to the point he had to be saved by Lily of all people and now all he could do was sit down and wait like a child in detention. This was an utter defeat in every sense of the word

"(Wha-What should I do...)" Thought the young woman while sitting down, sweating bullets with a weak smile as she felt the rather oppresive glare of the young man constantly on her "(He's looking at me like he's really angry!)"

For perhaps half an hour so, which quite honestly felt much longer to Lily due to the rather awkward mood made worse by the fact she was barely clothed at the moment, the soaked clothes left under the sunlight were finally dry enough to wear again. At first the young woman felt very glad about this but the act of dressing back up was surprisingly more embarassing than even undressing now that the young man, who was getting dressed as well, diverted part of his attention to keep his glare on her.

Once the two were fully dressed up and Max regained enough strength to walk the two of them made their way up the pathway that would lead back to the cave's entrance. Or rather, Max reluctantly took Lily along with him after Wilson's near-endless demands to bring her along as abandoning his "savior" would be nothing short of despicable, the Dodo obviously failing to realize it was pretty much rubbing salt in the wound right now.

The young man had a hard time moving his bitten arm or clenching his hand from the numbness in it and he could only move so fast while pressing the other hand, which he also used to hold his crossbow, against the wall as support. Lily offered to help him walk yet he refused without any willingness to listen.

A feeling of concern began to swell up within Lily's chest as they made their way back to the fork in the road. The anxiety was soon drowned out by a nauseating feeling as a putrid stench lingered in the air and soon enough they came upon the corpses of the mercenaries, or rather the scattered remains, that emanated said smell. Close to them laid the corpse of the Megalosaurus that caused this massacre, its mouth was saturated with an amount of blood from its victims that was only matched by the dozens of leaking bullet holes in its body.

The beast was vanquished, but it did not go down without taking quite a few of them in the process.

"Urgh...Guh!"

The combination of overwhelming stench and grizzly scenery was far too much for the young woman to withstand and she ended up releasing her lunch out into the floor. Max did seem disgusted by the scenery as well yet he managed to keep his food where it belonged, though he was close to painting the floors with it too.

"(I hope the others made it out of the cave safely)" Thought the young woman while hoping her companions didn't suffer a similar fate as the unlucky men around her.

wanting to leave that horrible scenery behind the two kept moving and reached the ledge where the Megalosauros once rested peacefully, yet Max suddenly stopping in place caught Lily's attention.

"Eh? What's wrong?" She asked with confusion before Max slowly turned his head to look back at her over his shoulder with a rather threatening and silent glare "...Eh?"

Without any warning or hesitation he turned around and aimed his crossbow right at Lily who's eyes widened in confusion and fear before pulling on the trigger and shooting out an arrow bolt. The wooden bolt flew past her, missing her left ear by inches, and hit the darkness outside of the torch's range of illumination. Right away a cry of pain echoed from within the shadows along with a strong tudding sound that made Lily turn around and extend the torch forward to illuminate further.

Just a few feet behind them laid a Megalania, twisting on the floor with an arrow bolt stuck to it's back before eventually getting up and roaring at the two of them. Judging by the badly damaged left eye it was the same one that attacked them earlier and the way it ran past Lily, completely ignoring her, to pounce at Max instead showed it was definitely upset about that.

"Uwah!?" Cried out the young woman as she fell to the floor and dropped the torch on the ground.

Now knowing the true danger behind its bite Max quickly guarded himself with his crossbow, the monster's jaws clenching against the wood and metal before using its weight to push him against the wall. The struggle was quite taxing on him as his bitten arm was hardly able to use as much strength as usual but he was somehow able to persevere.

Seeing this the Megalania shook its head to the left and right, sliding the young man against the wall before they both fell down on the ground where they kept their struggle going. The animal's sharp teeth sinking deeper into the wood as its saliva dripped down onto Max's face before a sharp piece of wood suddenly pierced it.

Taking advantage of the animals distraction and lack of sight on one eye Lily charged at it full speed with her spear from the left side, stabbing it right in the eye. Thanks to the prior injury Lily managed to make the spear dig much deeper into the Megalania's skull and skewer its brain, the damage showing up right away as the animal was hardly able to cry out in pain before dropping dead on top of Max and twitching in place.

The young man then dragged himself out from underneath the now slain beast, taking a few breaths before getting back up.

"Max, are you oka-?" Tried to ask the young woman before he walked past her and headed for the slope, completely ignoring her.

On the bright side Wilson looked at her and chirped with a more happy tone in what she imagined was the Dodo's attempt to express gratitude in Max's stead before following after the young man. Even if just a small gesture, it helped put a smile on her face as she followed behind the duo.

"I'm telling you man, this is bullshit!" Said a man's rough voice, echoing from outside as the young man and woman finally got closer to reaching the exit. It was not a voice either of them could recognize.

Max and Lily crouched down as the latter turned off the torch before they slowly headed towards the light that emanated from outside. The closer they got the louder and clearer the voices became until they were able to vaguely see two figures lingering around the cave entrance and quickly hid behind a few rocks to spy on them.

They both wore black armors, the one on the left had a sawed-off shotgun while the one on the rigt a longneck rifle.

"(More black raptor mercenaries...)" Thought the young man.

"Can't believe we had to stay behind while miss raptor queen and her personal ass-kisser George go to get the reinforcements" Complained the man on the left, who sounded notably upset, while resting his shotgun on his shoulder and placing the other hand on his hip.

"You know Sasha won't drop this until she hangs that dumb bastard's head on her wall" Replied the other one with both hands on his rifle "Remember that informant who screwed us over with the swamp job? She had us hunt them down for months before finally catching the poor bastard and turning him into raptor chow"

"Urgh, don't even remind me of that one. It took a week to get the blood out of the feeding trough, and even then we had to end up getting a new one because the stench wouldn't go away" Commented the shotgun-wielding merc with a nauseated expression "Still, we should just go back in there and find the damn bastard ourselves. Guy's probably dead already so no need to wait for the cavalry anyway"

"Let me ask you something then. Why, besides the boss and her right hand man, were we the only ones chosen to do guard duty out here?" Asked the rifle-wielding mercenary while turning his head to look at the other man.

"Because everyone else got killed..." Answered the man on the left.

"Because everyone else got killed" Repeated the man on the right with an affirmative tone "Or what? Did you forget how that Megalosaurus turned Rico into a blood sprinkler? Or how those Sarcos tore Dimitri appart before the critters ate up the scraps?"

"N-No...I was just saying..."

"Look, if you wanna play tough guy and go back in there be my guest. I'm not about to risk getting turned into bug chow, specially when I'm not getting any extra pay out of it"

After that little argument both mercenaries faced forward once more while making small talk, during this moment Max tried to figure out the best way to take them out yet he was in a rather unfavorable condition at the moment. Taking one out with a dagger or arrow bolt to the back of the head or neck by surprise would be feasible but dealing with the other would pose a challenge, but it was then that he got an idea. It was risky to say the least but definitely worth a shot.

Sneaking carefully behind them with his dagger in hand Max got as close as he could before suddenly leaping behind the shotgun-wielding mercenary and stabbing him right on the neck, the man chocking and bleeding profusely from the injury as the other one quickly looked at him with shock.

"What the-!? Oh you son of a bitch!" He cried out while aiming his rifle and pulling on the trigger.

To avoid getting shot Max quickly let go of the dagger and grabbed the chocking merc by the shoulder, turning him and using him as a meatshield to take the bullet in his stead before pushing him on the back towards the longneck rifle-wielding merc and making both fall to the ground as the latter was attempting to reload. In a split second he took hold of the gun holstered on the upper leg of the now dead merc and used it to shoot the other one between the openings in his chitin armor.

Shooting was rather difficult as it was a repeating revolver but he nonetheless managed to use it by slapping the side of his numb hand down on the hammer as hard as he could. Fortunately he was able to shoot the full barrel and quickly dispatch him.

The young man took a breath of relief before suddenly turning around and seeing two raptors, most likely the mounts of the men he just killed, looking at him in a rather unfriendly manner.

"(Shit!)" He tought with a cold sweat.

As the two reptiles charged at him one was pounced on and dragged into a fight by Robert, who leaped down from the vegetation on the ledge above them. For the other one Max quickly tried to reach for the crossbow strapped on his back yet this was unnecesary as it was suddenly blasted full of holes by Lily after she picked up the sawed off shotgun from the floor and opened fire.

Both of them took a moment to regain their breath while looking at the dead raptor before looking at each other. By the time Max got up on his feet Robert had ripped the other Raptor's throat off and approached him, then it looked at Lily for a moment or two as she broke a cold sweat. Fortunately after a few chirps from Wilson the raptor seemed to take a more relaxed stance.

"Since when did you learn to speak raptor?" Asked the young man while looking at the Dodo "Oh, forget it..."

The young man felt far more exhausted than usual, getting into not one but two fights with his currently drained stamina was certainly putting a toll on his body but at the very least he was able to keep himself awake and on his feet this time around. Unfortunately there was no time to rest as everyone's attention was suddenly taken by the rustling of vegetation around them, and when looking at the source of the sound Max and Lily saw Jerico and Rick coming out into the open.

"Rick, Jerico!?" Called out the young woman with a mixture of relief and surprise.

"Howdy!"

"Hey, are you okay!?" Asked the sailor while quickly approaching her with a bow in his hand.

"I'm okay, but Max..."

Both of them turned to look at the young man and looked at the injury in his arm, which he didn't even try to hide. The swelling had gone down a considerable amount after drinking the antidote and the the bite marks were hidden under the bandages yet the swelling was still quite notable not to mention the bandages were already getting stained in red.

"Fuck me sideways, Dodo boy. One of them chompers got you good" Said Jerico with one hand on his hat and a rather surprised expression, who had seen men nearly twice of Max's size become bedridden or die within minutes "Gotta admit, I'm surprised the poison didn't get to you yet"

"It's okay, he already drank an antidote. But I still think we should find a doctor for the injury" Explained Lily while turning her head to look at the cowboy-ish man.

"An antidote? There's an antidote for the cave monster's poison?" Asked Rick while looking at Jerico.

"I heard rumors, but never saw one myself. They're extremely hard to make since you need a lot of rare stuff and no one knows the exact recipe" He replied before looking at Max "So either Dodo boy here made one hell of a discovery while messing around with the mortar and pestle or he made some new mates, and very well informed ones at that"

The young man broke a cold sweat as all stares were placed upon him, though some of the pressure was relieved as the two men looked at Lily instead.

"How did you figure out he had an antidote, though?" Questioned the Sailor

"E-Erm...That's..." Fiddled the young woman, unsure what to say without mentioning Alan before suddenly saying what first came to mind "I just...I just thought he would be carrying some bandages on his pouches and saw the little flask with the tag "antidote" on them while taking a peek!"

"I see..."

Her answer made both men rather skeptical but Lily had promised to keep quiet about her conversation with the one-armed man. Fortunately Jerico quickly brushed it off and instead focused on stripping the two dead mercs of their weapons and ammunition.

"Well, either way the important thing is that both of you mates made it out alive" He said while searching inside the pouches of the mercs "Hey Rick, give me a hand with these two wombats. Can't use the armor but sure would be a waste to leave the guns here"

"Right..."

The sailor then joined to help in scavenging from both bodies before they eventually recovered a couple of purses with hespis, a longneck rifle, a sawn-off shotgun, two revolvers and about a dozen bullets for each of the weapons.

"This should help next time we find a cave" Said Rick before sweat dropping "Or at least next time we get shot at..."

"We should hurry and bounce outta here. If these two dipsticks stayed behind then there's probably backup on their way here" Added Jerico before looking at Max "You comin' Dodo boy?"

The young man looked at Jerico in silence before he continued.

"Whoever you're mates with now, if they live north you're gonna have to get past the swamp to go back and believe me you're going up shit's creek without a paddle in a barbed wire canoe if you try it with that nasty love tap in your arm" Explained the cowboy-ish man while pointing at the injury "Swamp critters can smell blood for miles, even with that speedy chomper of yours you'll be swarmed before you can say "Yutyrannus""

Max kept glaring at him for a moment or two before closing his eyes. It was frustrating but Jerico was right, Alan as well once warned him to never cross the swamp with a bleeding injury or an injury that had the smell of blood lingering in it, even when riding Robert at full speed. Unfortunately for him even if the wound stopped bleeding the blood left stains all over his hide sleeve, and to make matters worse the swamp region spread out all the way from the east to the west of the Island where it became thinnest.

Any way he saw it there was only one choice, and it was not a pleasant one for him. Besides, he could use a calm and quiet place to rest up for a bit. Not that the Weathertop was actually peaceful or quiet, but it was the best he could get right now.

"I'm not staying in the Weathertop..." He finally replied as a way of agreeing, though in his own way of adding rejection to the mix.

"Never asked you to" Said Jerico with a smirk and a hand on his hat "Well, let's fly outta this place. Muscle boy and wrench girl are waiting for us near the coast"

A sense of joy and relief filled Lily as she heard the news of her companions being safe and alive. They may have lost the artifact and a few fellow students as well, but at the very least they could live to fight another day.

These thoughts served as both a form of consolation and a boost of motivation for the young woman as the whole group hurried to reunite with the rest and make their way back to the Weathertop.

* * *

*Scene*

* * *

The trip back to the plateau was much smoother thanks to Rick and Jerico bringing along the Parasaur they used to travel plus the one Alex owned, though it was a very silent one as well since the lingering feeling of defeat still weighted down upon all of them. The sportsman in particular seemed to be the most affected one this time around, as he only looked forward without bothering to speak or even look at Max, despite being common knowledge at this point just how badly he wanted to see him again. Lily, who was sitting right behind him, and Olivia who shared her ride with Jerico could tell the weight on his mind was not solely from the loss of the artifact nor of the two students that met their untimely end in the cave. Even the usually loud and outspoken Milly was completely silent while wrapping her arms around Rick's waist, notably shaken to the core yet silent as well.

The young man kept a relative distance from the others like he always did yet he quietly followed behind until they finally arrived to their destination, their camp outside of the blue student base. To welcome them back were the blue flower, the little girl and Milly's friend Sally. Their expressions showing a mixture of joy and relief upon seeing them before changing into concern after noticing the sombre mood in the group.

"He-Hey...Are you guys okay?" Asked Angela while walking closer to look at them more carefully, then noticing the shortage of members "Where's Terry and Rascal?"

"Milly? What's wrong!?" Quickly asked Sally as well upon noticing the perturbed state of her friend as she got off her mount "Milly!? Milly!"

"Dead...They're both dead...!" Quietly muttered the blue student while placing both hands on her head and shivering while crouching on the floor "I...I...!"

Both the blue flower and the blue student looked at Milly for a moment before suddenly noticing Max on the back of his raptor.

"He didn't kill them, if that's what you're thinking" Interjected Alex with a rather harsh tone and an unamused expression while getting off of his Parasaur.

"N-No, I didn't-!" Quickly tried to brush off the dark-haired blue student before being interrupted once more by the sportsman.

"Really now...!? Well that's a surprise!" He asked with widened eyes and raised eyebrows as if he was utterly surprised by the reply from the blue student, though it was also evident he was just being sarcastic at that moment "Because to me, it felt like you were certainly thinking that! Both of you, actually!"

"Hey, Alex...!?" Called out Rick to no avail.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Asked Angela while breaking a cold sweat, feeling confused by the sudden accusation and rather aggressive tone Alex was taking at the moment "I don't understand"

"Oh really now!? Then let me make it crystal clear for you!"

An ominous feeling crossed everyone's mind at that moment. Whatever thoughts or feelings Alex was bottling up just now and attempting to process on his mind suddenly snapped out like a storm and were more than ready to bring in the chaos with it.

"Everything was going fine until we met with the monster mid-way through to the artifact and your friend here thought it would be a good idea to try and kill us by the back while I tried to talk with him!" Explained the sportsman while putting notably strong emphasis on the "words" friend and "monster" while also circling with his finger to signal he both women and him "And then a group of mercenaries stormed the cave, but your friend was so busy trying to kill us and the monster here that we couldn't even see them coming! And guess what? Rascal got his brains blown out of his ear by a rifle bullet while Terry got torn appart by Piranhas while all _she_ did was cry her eyes out and beg non-stop!"

"Oh God..." Replied Angela while lowering her gaze with one hand on her mouth.

"Hey, muscle-boy. A bit too graphic don'cha think?" Asked Jerico while looking at him, though just like Rick he was ignored.

"Oh and they also took the artifact too, just in case you're thinking the monster stole this one too" Continued Alex while pointing at the young man with his thumb "So yeah, I'm sorry to break your expectations but your monster isn't the murderer or the thief here"

Alice quickly rushed off to Lily's side as she got off of her mount, though while Alice's attention soon fell to Max everyone else was watching the argument unfold.

"N-No! I didn't meant to-!" Tried to interject Milly before being cut off by Alex.

"Shut the hell up!"

"Wa-Wait! Please don't yell at Milly!" Begged Sally while approaching her "I'm sure she didn't meant to-"

"You shut up too!"

"Eeek!?"

"Hey! Calm down, will you!?" Finally snarled back the Blue flower, who was growing tired of Alex yelling not only at her but at Sally just for one simple stare and being treated like she was the one to blame for the tragic deaths in the cave "I understand you're upset but why are you lashing out at us!? And what do you even mean by monster!?"

"Ohhh really? You don't understand why..." Replied the sporstman with a rather concerning laugh.

"No, I don't understand why you're taking it out on us!" Snarled the blue flower "I can't even begin to imagine how horrible it was but we're the ones who lost friends here, not you! They're the ones that died!"

"And we nearly died too because of her! All of us!" Barked Alex while pointing at Milly "Not because of the monsters, not because of the mercenaries and certainly not because of Max! We nearly died because of her! I'm pissed off because none of you assholes ever intended to help us! All you ever wanted was to keep us in line and do your dirty work for you! And the _one_ time I asked for help all you people did was give us the worst possible person for the job!"

"She said she would do it right to your face! An entire day before even going to the cave! If you're gonna blame someone here then blame yourself for not taking her seriously!" Barked back Angela, their heated arguing even causing some of the blue students from the Weathertop to take a peek outside the gate to see what the ruckus was "And just so you know _I_ tried to help you! I've been trying to help you and your group ever since the first day you arrived! I've been getting into arguments with other students _every single day_ just because I've been trying like crazy to convince everyone that you're trustwhorty and that's how you repay me!? By treating me like what happened in that cave was a plot I made to get you and the others killed!?"

"If it wasn't then why did you let the one person you _knew_ helped that senior drive Max to the breaking point during his first year?"

"Tha-That's...That's got nothing to do with anything here!"

As the two kept yelling each other's ears out non-stop, Alice turned her head to look at her older brother only to notice he was no longer where she last saw him. Searching her surroundings she saw him getting away in the distance, though he seemed to be heading in the direction of the lake rather than towards the coastline which he could easily use to guide himself when crossing islets.

It was at that moment that Dahlia's words resonated once more inside her head.

"(What do _you_ know about him? You keep ignoring what's going on right in front of you...Deep down, you know he doesn't care about you)" Repeated the voice of the white flower inside Alice's mind before she finally made up her mind.

She always talked about them being family and that family should be together, but she hardly knew anything about him or about the things done to him by other students. Perhaps there was more that she didn't know? Did it have something to do with how detached he was from her? And if so, could she as family have done something to avoid it?

One way or the other, there was only one way to find out. It was time for her to face him and ask by herself instead of simply cowering behind others.

The little girl let go of Lily and quickly headed off after Max while everyone else was distracted, though Lily did not fail to notice this and went after her. Eventually the two caught up to the young man, who was collecting water both to drink and to wash up the bloodstains on his arm while changing the stained bandages.

Both of them looked at him before Alice stepped out into the open and approached him as the young woman followed behind, feeling anxious about what could come out of this.

"Big brother!" She called out, only to be completely ignored "Max!"

Using his name seemed to work a little better as at the very least he directed his glare at her, granted it was not a very friendly one. Yet this did not discourage her in the least.

"Why do you hate women!?" Asked Alice with a clear tone while the young man filled his canteen with water "Is it really because a mean woman bullied you!?"

There was no response to her questions, only absolute indifference as he loaded up the empty canteens and packed them up in his raptor's saddle bags.

"Is that why you don't like me!? That's why you hate me or don't want to think of me as family!?" She persisted "If that's not it then why!? At least tell me why! I want to understand!"

All those years of indifference, the harsh cold shoulder he always gave to her, the glares that were almost an everyday thing back home. Alex and the others believed it to get worse due to the island but Alice knew better than that, she knew it had nothing to do with the island but always was too scared to ask, too scared to find out what truly drove him to despise her so much.

And yet now that she desperately wanted to know the truth the only person that could tell her hardly even bothered to even look her way, acting as if she didn't exist.

"Is it related to the scars on your back?" Asked the young woman, finally breaking the silence before stepping forward as well.

This question froze him in place and caused Alice to alternate between looking at the both of them as Lily kept her eyes focused on Max.

"Scars?" Asked the little girl.

"I'm sorry but I saw them while you were unconscious..." Continued the young woman, initially not listening to Alice "I thought they were probably done by that senior who used to bully you, but that's not it, is it?"

"Wait, Lily! What are you talking about!?" Questioned Alice while turning her whole body to look at her this time.

The purple flower looked at the young man's sibling for a moment or two before finally speaking out.

"The night when we came back with Max and Lupa from the obelisk I met Dahlia after you went to sleep. She told me that after thinking about the contrast between you and Max she felt like there could be a reason for the way he rejects you so strongly, one that's sepparate from the bullying senior" Explained the young woman "She said that it could be because of parental favoritism"

At that moment not only Alice but even Max looked at her, though the latter had a far less unamused look.

"Favoritism? What's that?"

"It means that, in a family with multiple children, one child gets a much better treatment than the others" She answered "Dahlia believed that the reason Max is so aggressive towards you because your parents raised you lovingly while they might have rejected or even mistreated him, and after seeing those scars I think they did more than just mistreat him a little"

"You-you're wrong! Mom and dad are really nice! They would never do something as mean as hurting their own family!" Retorted the little girl.

"Alice...When was the last time you saw them being nice to him?" Asked Lily this time with a soft tone as if to try and avoid aggravating her.

Alice attempted to answer right away yet her mind drew a blank.

The little girl always saw her parents as nice, gentle and caring people who were not only supportive of her but also never showed signs of getting angry or upset. She had a myriad memories of all the times they lived up to this image she had of them yet no matter how hard she tried there was no memory of a time when they showed this type of kindness to Max. She could argue that she also had no memories of them being as abusive towards him as Lily claimed yet deep down there was always that something that bothered her, that something which she couldn't quite put her finger on. Now that the young woman brought this subject into the light she was finally able to realize what this nagging feeling was.

In nearly every memory she had of Max and her parents together they rarely shared more than a few words, and whenever they did so their tones and expressions were seemingly neutral, cold even. She always imagined that to simply be due to Max himself not being a very talkative and distant person yet the more she dissected her own memories the more details she noticed.

On some nights when being tucked into bed by her mother she would hear yelling and thumping sounds, though her mother always brushed it off as the neighbors arguing or the TV just being a tad too loud. On others she would see Max applying an ice pack to bruises in his face and arms in the bathroom late at midnight.

Eventually Alice even came to remember one time when she heard an extremely loud ruckus downstairs while studying on her room and hurried to check on it, only to see her older brother kneeling down on the floor with one hand on his mouth and nose, blood staining his fingers and dripping down onto the carpet, and the other one against the floor. When looking at her parents her father quickly put one hand over the other hurriedly as if wanting to hide something and explained that Max suddenly tripped and fell against the bookshelf.

The clearer thing about that memory was their expressions, her father nervous and sweaty while her mother simply looked away and quickly left to avoid the whole situation, pretending as if it didn't exist.

"(You keep ignoring what's going on right in front of you...Right in front of you)"

Once again the words of the white flower echoed in her head, their meaning far clearer this time as all the memories she recalled flashed one after the other like a piece of film, tying together into the reality she always failed to see. The answers that she yearned for were always in front of her, she simply chose to ignore them.

This epiphany crashed down on her so strongly she was rendered speechless and the color began to drain off of her face.

"No way...It's not true, right?" She asked with a look that was rather saddening to witness, as if she had realized she was guilty of something horrible, before turning to look at her brother "She's lying, right? Mom and dad never hurt you, right!? Right!?"

Max did not answer the question, instead he focused once more on packing the canteens as she kept walking closer with a distraught look.

"Hey...It's a lie, isn't it? Hey, Max...!" She kept asking while walking closer until she was withim arm's reach of him "I mean...We're brothers, right!? We're family!"

"Alice, wait!"

Lily tried to stop her yet moment Alice touched him the young man finally snapped and hit her with the back of his left fist, the numb arm unable to use full strength yet the impact still strong enough to toss her aside a slight distance.

"Don't touch me you spoiled little shit!" He barked at her "And stop calling me brother already! We're not family!"

"Wait, Max! Please don't-ugh!" Begged the purple flower while quickly trying to get in between them before Max hit her full force in the stomach with the stock of his crossbow.

The impact was so strong she lost all the air in her lungs and fell down to her knees while coughing to regain air as the young man aimed the crossbow at her head so closely that the tip of the loaded bolt was poking her on the back of the head.

"And you! Stop running your damn mouth already!" He snarled with his finger dangerously firm on the trigger "Do you think just because I helped get your ass out of that cave you can say whatever the hell you want about me? I just did it because Wilson wouldn't shut up otherwise, I have no problem shoving an arrow in your skull, you know!?"

Upon receiving no response from Lily Max soon diverted his attention to Alice who was sitting back up with one hand on her reddened cheek, a sparkle of tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Then...It's my fault?" She asked while looking at him "All this time, it was all my fault?"

"That's right! It was all your damn fault!" He snarled while aiming the crossbow at her this time "Ever since you and that cunt of a gold digger showed up my whole life went to hell! Everyday he acted like you three were the perfect little family while treating me like utter shit! While you were getting tucked in bed I was getting beaten up downstairs, whenever I talked back I got beat up, whenever I cried I got beat up, whenever I looked at you the wrong way I got beat up, even when I didn't do anything I got beat up!"

With rage swellng up within him and making his blood boil the young man let go of his bow and grabbed Alice by the shirt, lifting her up and shaking her on the spot.

"You wanna ask so much!? Huh!? Then how about _you_ answer me this!? Why did you get to be the perfect child while I was the punching bag!?" He questioned while shaking her in a brutish way "Is it because you're a girl and I'm a boy!? because you're younger than me!? Because your mother shat you out without dying!? Tell me why!? Why!?"

"I...I..."

Alice could barely utter words while sobbing before finally breaking down and crying with full force, which only served to infuriate Max even further.

"If only...If only..." Repeated the young man twice as the sudden surge of adrenaline helped him regain enough sensation in his left hand to close it into a tight fist before pulling it back and shouting at the top of his lungs " **If only you hadn't been born! ! !** "

"I-I'm sorry...!" Bawled the little girl as the left fist was headed towards her "I'm sorry I was born!"

At that very moment in time Max froze like a statue, his fist mere inches away from Alice's face as she kept crying non-stop. For a moment, just for a momentary fraction of a second, a much younger version of himself seemed to flash in front of his eyes and take Alice's place as she uttered those words of apology.

Though merely for just a millisecond this rendered him unable to hit her, as a matter of fact it froze him on the spot until Wilson finally decided enough was enough and got right betwen Max's legs before jumping up and hitting him in the croch behind the chitin armor with full force.

Needless to say this snapped him back to his sense rather efficiently.

"Wha-What the hell was that for, you damn fatass!?" He groaned with a clear pain in his lower region while lowering his knees slightly from the burning sensation.

"M-Max...Who's the monster...?" Asked Lily as she laid on her knees and looking at him, causing Max to look at her over his shoulder "Is Alice really the monster? If not...Then who's the real monster...?"

Though still in a daze, the young woman's words seemed to make him stop and think, even if just for a moment, as he looked at Alice again. Looking at her face filled him with anger to the point he wanted to beat it into a pulp yet everytime he pulled his fist back he couldn't throw it at her, almost as if something within him wouldn't let him.

He kept trying to struggle against whatever was stopping him before finally growing sick of it and tossing Alice back at Lily, who quickly turned her upper body and caught her. Both women then looked at him as he simply stood there in silence, regaining his breath.

"Screw it, you're not worth it" He said with a notably calmer tone "What are you waiting for? Get the hell out of my sight before I change my mind"

"Bu-But-" Stuttered Lily before being interrupted by Max.

"Please...Just leave me alone already..." He asked, much to her surprise, without even looking at her or facing her. His tone sounding tired all of a sudden rather than angry like before.

A moment or two of silence took place before the young woman got up and did as he asked, taking Alice with her by the hand as the latter looked at him. They got further and further away as she saw him stand in place for a bit longer before eventually getting blocked away by the vegetation, the last she saw being him sitting down on the ground while Wilson stood next to him.

After a few minutes of silently making their way back to the Weathertop the first thing both women saw was Alex walking towards them, though he was heading towards the exit rather than the lake like Max did. His expression was not one of anger but rather one of dissapointment and exhaustion.

"Ah, there you are" He said with a rather monotone tone while looking at them "Come on now, we're leaving"

"We're leaving? Where are we going?" Asked Lily.

"Anywhere but here...I'm sick of this place and these people..." Replied the sporstman rather coldly before walking past them and then turning to look at the two women "You know what? Dahlia was right. I used to think this island made Max go insane...Turns out _I_ was the delusional one all along..."

After giving them those words Alex turned around and kept walking as they looked forward again and saw Olivia, Rick and Jerico. Both men were leading the Parasaurs by the reins while Olivia quickly approached her.

Far on the distance where their camp used to be Lily managed to catch sight of Angela sitting down on the grass with her back against a rock, both hands covering her face while Sally sat down close to her.

"Lily! There you are!" Said Olivia with a hint of relief in her tone "I was wondering where you went after going full ninja and sneaking out on us like that!"

"Hey Artsy girl, any idea where dodo boy went?" Asked Jerico while walking closer to the purple flower.

Lily took a moment to think of what answer to give yet the one that ended up speaking up was Alice.

"He left..." Answered the little girl with a downcast and tired look in her eyes "Big brot-...Max already left..."

"I see..."

The cowboy-ish man looked at Alice for a moment or two before taking off his hat and putting it on her head instead in a way that made her eyes difficult to see by those around her.

"Sunlight's been one strong as, nasty as bitch on the eyes today don'cha think?" He continued while lifting his hand away from her and looking at the two women "Come on, sheilas. We crashing at my place tonight. Curry muncher's making stew!"

Olivia was the first one to follow behind while Lily looked at Alice for a moment as she held onto the hat with both hands and pulled it down a little. The young woman offered her hand but the little girl simply ignored it and followed after the others by herself as Lily looked at her with a deep feeling of regret and eventually caught up with the others as well.

* * *

*Scene*

* * *

"Get away! Get away from me!" Yelled Alice as she ran around a seemingly endless world of pure darkness. It was hard to tell wheter she was running in a straight line or in circles but she was running as fast and as desperately as she could "Help! Anyone, help me!"

Everywhere they looked, one could only see darkness. No ground, no sky, nothing but and endless void spreading far and wide. The only signs of life being the little girl and a dark figure chasing after her. She kept running while calling for help yet none would hear her cries, all she could do was keep running and hope to escape her persecutor.

Yet despite her best efforts Max's hands emerged from the darkness and reached out to brab her, the fingers wrapping themselves around the thin neck while turning her around to face him. Utter terror reflected in her eyes as tears ran down her face like waterfalls.

"Pl-please...Please, stop! It hurts!" She bawled as she felt his grip on her throat becoming tighter and tighter "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry! I'm sorry! !"

The little girl kept apologizing over and over again with further difficulty due to lack of oxigen until her words deformed into choking and gaggling sounds and eventually came to a sudden stop after a loud snap that echoed into the darkness. Alice was no longer struggling or crying as all life was drawn out of her.

Max then let go and allowed the small body to flop down into the ground like a ragdoll. He looked at his handiwork for a moment or two as her eyes remained focused on him before the little girl suddenly dissapeared in the blink of an eye, her place being taken by a young boy who he recognized as himself.

He wanted to speak up yet no words would come out, instead he tried to reach out but came to a halt as he saw both of his hands were now drenched in blood.

"Max..." Called out Lily, who he noticed was now kneeled down next to the dead boy's body "Who's the monster? Who's the real monster?"

"Monster...Monster..." Said Milly's voice echoing from all sides, yet she was nowhere to be found "You're the monster! You're a monster with a human face!"

The blue student's voice kept shouting the word "monster" over and over again, each time growing louder and louder to the point it felt as though she was yelling it right into her ear at full force.

Max tried to yell at her to shut up but he was still unable to speak despite feeling himself yelling. Even when attempting to yell hard enough to tear his vocal cords no sound came out. All he could do was attempt to cover his ears against the deafening screams.

And then, as suddenly as it began, the screaming stopped. Not only that but Lily and the body dissapeared as well, and in the spot where they once were now laid a small body of water.

Upon drawing closer to it he saw his reflection in the cristaline liquid for a moment or two before the reflection began to move on its own and placed one hand on its face, the nails digging deep into the skin before the face was ripped off with one sudden motion and revealed a necrotic-looking creature similar in appearance to a face in an MRI scan. Terror shook Max to the core as the creature suddenly emerged out of the water and grabbed him by the neck with its long, bony hands. The wide open jaws becoming closer and closer before at long last Max was able to scream as he opened his eyes and sat up.

Quickly looking around him the young saw his surroundings were dark, but eventually managed to reach the light switch after a minute or so. His breathing heavy and his body drenched in sweat, he finally came to realize he was in Alan's hideout, in the room where he slept.

"(A dream...Just a dream)" He tought while placing both hands on his face and lowering his head "(Damn it!)"

The young man attempted to fall asleep yet the fresh nightmare lingering on his mind didn't allow him to do so. In the end he simply turned and laid down in his bed for nearly two hours before getting up and working on crafting extra arrow bolts for his crossbow until morning arrived.

Five days passed since the failed cave mission and ever since that day nightmares constantly haunted him in his sleep. Every single night it happened without fail and every single time it would be the same experience, sometimes repating itself multiple times like some sort of first-person horror movie happening on a loop before he could finally snap himself out of it.

Due to the Megalania bite on his arm Max had to spend the first couple of days recovering, mainly by focusing on resting and drinking a dense red liquid that looked liked wine and Alan described as a "Medical brew" which supposedly helped stimulate faster recovery. True to his words not only the bite itself but the swelling as well were both completely gone by the third day. On the fourth he was able to go back to daily training yet the nightmares caused him to have a constant feeling of exhaustion. The brunt was not only physical as the nightmares began to affect his mind so badly sometimes he would jump at his own reflection, and the one-armed man did not fail to notice this.

"Alright, kid. I've been getting in touch with a few sources here and there to keep track of the Black Raptor company's dealings. Turns out there's no news of them selling any unusual goods that resemble the artifact" Stated Alan while putting a map down on the table, though this was not a map of the island but rather a map of the Golden Hesperonis "Miss raptor queen is young and rash but she's no idiot. She probably knows putting the artifact for sale, even on the underground market, would attract way too much attention but that it's also worth a fortune with the right person"

"Mhm..."

"The black raptor company's base should be located in this area, which is where low to middle-rank mercenary companies are accomodated. Folk usually like to call it "the fortune district" because of it" He continued while pointing at the east section of the map "There should be some security here and there but you should be able to sneak in undetected at night"

"Mhm..."

"The issue is that miss raptor queen's probably using herself as an artifact safe when on the move. A clever choice, all things considered. Much safer than just leaving it alone in a room or in the care of her half-witted grunts"

"Mhm..."

"..."

"..."

Alan looked quietly at Max, who was looking at the map with a seemingly absent-minded expression, in silence for a moment or two.

"Fortunately I happen to know of a super secret technique to take the artifact from her" He said with a more lighthearted tone and a smile "All you need to do is sneak into her room at night, tie her up and shove your thumbs up her butthole as hard as you can. The sudden shock to her nervous system will trigger a failsafe device within the implant and cause the artifact to be expelled, giving you the chance to take it and make a run for it"

"You can't be serious..." Said Max while looking at Alan.

"Not at all, I just wanted to see if you were paying attention" Replied the one-armed man.

"I am paying attention" Commented the young man "You said that the raptor queen still has the artifact on her, and that her base is on the east district of the Golden Hesperonis"

"Okay, so you _were_ listening. That's good" Concluded Alan before receiving a short moment of silence as a response from Max before putting one arm on the table "Hey Kid. You know I like to keep it professional when it comes to work, but somehow I get the feeling something's been putting you on a bad mood...well, a _worse_ mood than usual"

"I'm fine..."

"Oh, really now? Because I'm pretty sure all the screaming I've been hearing in the middle of the night says otherwise" Questioned the man.

"I said I'm fine!" Replied the young man with a louder tone this time while looking at him "Does my mood even matter all that much anyway? It's all the same as long as I get back the artifact"

A short silence took place between the two of them before Alan moved his arm away from the table while keeping his eyes on the young man.

"I see...I guess you're right about that..." He replied with a somewhat colder tone before making a more lighthearted expression "Well, jokes aside there's no real way to steal an artifact once it's stored inside someone's implant so the only choice we have at the moment is to wait until she tries to make a deal with someone and willingly takes it out of the implant. In the meantime I'll have to keep track of her company's movements both in the open and undreground markets"

"What should I do then?" Asked the young man.

"For the time being I'll have you focus on daily training. I would send you to act as a middle-man with the informants but after the whole mess with the guards some people have been mentioning you on the streets" Explained Alan "I doubt they'll put wanted posters with your face on them but it's safer to wait until things cool down a little before taking the risk"

"In that case, I'll be on my way then"

The young man then got up from his seat and walked out of the room while the one-armed man looked at him leave before looking at the map again with a pensive expression.

Max then spent the next few hours training hand-to-hand and melee combat with a dummy made ouf of thatch and wood before taking a rest. It was then that Wilson decided to have a little conversation with him.

""Why didn't you tell him?" you say?" Asked back the young man while looking at the Dodo "It's just a bad dream...It'll go away eventually"

Wilson chirped in response to this assumption from him, as he didn't seem fully convinced of his own words. If anything, he only seemed intent on trying to avoid talking about the issue.

"No, Wilson. It wouldn't have helped at all. He only wants to make sure I don't bail out of the artifact hunt" Replied the young man before receiving another chirp "Yes, I'm sure"

Though he said this, the young man couldn't deny Alan's behavior was different from what he expected. When informed about the situation in the cave he seemed more focused on Max making it out alive rather than focusing on recovering the artifact and even when he came back wounded and empty-handed the one-armed man didn't even seem upset, if anything he seemed relieved that he was still alive.

Even so, he was already aware that when trying to open up to someone else things usually took a turn for the worse. He already experienced it with Alex, time and time again he was shown that nothing good would come out of trusting people on a personal level. It was better to just not take the risk.

Or was it?

That small question lingered in the young man's mind for a moment or two, oddly enough emerging after he remembered Lily's words about him and Wilson back in the cave. Not particulary the words themselves but something about what she said felt different to Max, different to how it felt when he spoke to Amelia as she attempted to take that polite behavior around him and others or whenever Alex attempted to persuade him into something. Yet something about about the young woman's words felt different, though he couldn't figure out just what it was.

He kept thinking about this for a few more times before simply brushing it off and resuming his training. As far as he was concerned the constant nightmares were affecting his mind.

"Wait, that's it!" Suddenly said the young man with a look of realization "I'm having nightmares because of that damn woman! It's because she knows about the scars on my back...I bet the bitch is planning to use that and force me into doing shit for her!"

Wilson looked at him before chirping a couple of times.

"Of course I'm sure, Wilson! I know this has to be it!" He replied to the Dodo before looking forward again with a clenched fist "She kept running her mouth like that to get into my head...But you just wait, Wilson. I'm gonna make sure to get back at her in spades!"

As Max came up to the conclusion that his nightmares were Lily's doing Wilson simply looked at him in silence.

Meanwhile, far away from Alan's hideout and instead deep in the Black Raptor company headquarters, Sasha was inspecting a few documents mentioning trade and auction circuits spread on her desk before slamming her hand against it in frustration after seeing the words "rejected" on each and every single on of them in bright red.

"Damn it! This is a waste of time!" She angrily barked before turning her head to look at George, her second in command who wore a full set of chitin armor and had a short mohawk along with a biker moustache "Did you find any buyer yet, George?"

"No can do, boss. I've checked with a few brokers but none want anything to do with this thing" Replied the man after putting down a few more documents on the desk "Some just aren't interested cause the've got no clue what it does while others think it's downright cursed. Even our boys are thinking it's cursed after what happened in that cave"

"Curses are just a bunch of made up lies rich folk use to keep dumb bastards from taking their stuff! "

"You still have to admit, boss..." Said the right-hand man before turning to look at the artifact hovering in the corner "There's something very creepy about that thing"

The queen of the black raptors turned her head to look at the artifact as well. She was never a superstitious one but even she couldn't deny the uncanny object gave her an ominous feeling, which was just more of a reason for her eagernes to sell it and be rid of it for good.

"Even so, there _has_ to be someone out there willing to buy this thing!" Assured Sasha.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door which made both turn to look at it.

"B-Boss!? You in there!?"

"We're busy, not now!" Interjected George before turning to look at Sasha "Anyway, I'll try sending out some of our boys to look for informants. Maybe we'll find a broker or direct buyer for-"

Once again the knocking took place, this time harder than before.

"Hey! I said we're busy!" Repeated the right-hand man while looking at the door once again.

"But we have a client!" Said the man with a notably anxious tone.

"Oh, for the love of..." Grumbled George before walking up to the door "Can't he wait for five minutes!? We're having a meeting right-"

As he opened the door the second-in-command of the black raptor company stopped talking upon seeing a man dressed in a black business suit being escorted by two taller men dressed in metal armor with pieces of black cloth with golden trims covering the cuiras and shoulders along with black berets bearing similar color designs, the golden symbol of the Golden Hesperonis on the chest and shoulders in both sides. They were a very rare sight in the streets of the Golden Hesperonis but far more common in those of the upper city, as they were better known to be guards there.

Both men were carring swords on their hips and automatic pistols on a holster wrapped around the upper right leg along with assault rifles, which were quite an uncommon sight even for upper city guards. This was a signal the men they were escorting was no common merchant.

George took a step back from the sudden surprise as the man in the black suit soon diverted his attenion to Sasha instead.

"I am to assume you are the leader here?" He asked with a calm, monotone tone.

"You...Who are you people?" Asked the raptor queen, somewhat surprised by the unexpected visitors.

"Rumors about a certain low-rank mercenary group attempting to sell a rather "uncanny" object of unkown origin have been spread around the city as of late" Explained the man in the suit as he walked into the room followed by his two guards, one of which closed the door behind him, before looking at the artifact on the corner "By the looks of it, it seems our patron was right in sending us here"

"Your patron? Who's your patron?" Questioned Sasha, this time with more impatience as she theorized the reasoning behind their visit "If he wants to buy this thing, he better give me a good offer"

The man in the suit walked up to the desk and took out a piece of rolled paper from under his suit before putting it down on the table for the leader of the mercenary company to take.

"I believe this should explain everything..."

Upon unrolling and reading the contents, Sasha's face paled as her eyes followed the trail of words.

The paper was, in fact, a contract offering the black Raptor company a massive money reward alongside an opportunity to be granted acommodation on the upper city in exchange of completing a confidential assignment. The offer was nothing short of astounding yet what truly solidified the shock for her was that on the bottom of the document she saw both the official seal of the Golden Hesperonis's council along with the signature of all six members as well.

This contract was the real deal.

"You gotta be kidding me..." She said with utter disbelief while feeling a cold sweat running down her back "What the hell is this all about?"

"It is as it says. Word of the tier six type object being in your possesion has captured the interest of the council, and so they decided to give you an opportunity to prove yourself to them" Explained the man who took off his hat "All you have to do is complete the assignment and you'll be amply rewarded not only money and property-wise, but you will also be acknowledged as a useful asset by the members of the council"

"Wa-Wait a minute! Tier six!?" Asked George who finally snapped out of his trance "Doesn't the trading chart of the Golden Hesperonis have only five tiers!?"

"That is correct. The normal charts have five tiers but there is in fact a sixth tier reserved for the artifacts as each of them is an unique, one of a kind object" Continued the middle-man of the council before diverting his gaze sideways to the gate "Granted the sixth tier has always been denominated as classified information and its existence is therefore only available to very few people"

The man then snapped his fingers, urging one of the guards to suddenly open the door and reveal the merc from before eavesdropping on the conversation before the other guard aimed his weapon at him and blew him full of holes without even a sliver of a chance to say anything. All of it happening while he looked at Sasha without even flinching

"Oh shit!" Said George as he took a few steps away and reached out for his gun, yet managed to keep himself from taking it out of the holster as he was aware of what would happen otherwise.

"I believe this doesn't need to be elaborated on but the council expects you to keep both the information and the assignment fully confidential, even among your own men. Hopefully you understand..."

Sasha looked at the dead merc on the floor for a moment before focusing on the middle man again. She could tell one wrong word or a rejection would most likely get her, if not the whole black raptor company, killed off.

"I understand..." She replied after taking a gulp of saliva.

"Good, in that case should I inform my patron that we have a deal?" Asked the man while extending his hand.

The raptor queen looked at it for a moment or two before extending her own hand, taking it and shaking it a few times as a smirk showed on the man's face. Despite the rather threatening conditions the offer was far too good to ignore either. The chance she had always yearned for was now right in front of her, and she would not let it slip through her fingers.

"I'll take the job..." She stated with a more stern tone while looking at the man in the eyes as she let go of his hand "So what do you need me to do?"

"The assignment requires you to gather all three artifacts and take them to the green obelisk as this one has been shown to match with the descriptions given by our scouts" He explained before placing a few more documents, this time with a picture of Max, Alex, Rick and Jerico attached on each one "According to our sources these individuals have been attempting to gather information about the artifacts for months now. They are believed to be in possesion of another artifact, perhaps even more than one. Reports say they make their home in a small settlement south of the redwoods, near the red obelisk"

"These guys were the ones in the cave" Said Sasha with widened eyes.

"If you wish to gain information about the whereabouts of more artifacts, these four are your best bet" Continued the man before turning around and walking towards the door "Further details will be given to you in the following days. For the time being, focus your efforts on gathering the artifacts...We'll be in touch"

The man in the suit walked out of the room, making sure not to step on the dead mercenary as his guards followed behind while leaving nothing but silence as Sasha sat down to process the offer she just received and look at the pictures placed upon her desk.


	16. Plucked rose

The sounds of wooden forks pressing down against plates of the same material kept repeating themselves as both Jerico and Alex's groups ate together around the table in a rather awkward silence. Today's serving was fish with a serving of fried savoroot chips, a special recipe Norman had been working on for a while and though could help lift up the mood of the students and the sailor. The meal was just as delightful as one could expect when made by someone of his skill yet unfortunately it hardly seemed to fulfill its intended purpose.

Rick and Olivia ate without feeling all too bothered and although Lily wasn't exactly all too hungry at the moment she ate both out of respect to the trader's hospitality and to show her gratitude for the indian man's effort to prepare the meal. Alex hardly touched his own serving and Alice didn't even bother to show up to eat, instead choosing to sit down just outside the house and look out at the forest.

"Yo muscle boy, pretty sure doing a staring contest with the fish ain't exactly the best idea when the other side can't even blink" Said Jerico before taking a bite out of his fried savoroot

The small attempt to lighten up the mood was only greeted with more silence, which only made things even more awkward.

"My friend, I understand your mood is hindering your hunger but refusing to eat will only hurt your body and mind even further" Added Norman this time in an attempt to reason with him more directly.

The indian man made no attempt to hide the concern in his tone when speaking, yet this didn't seem to help all that much either.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not really hungry right now..."

"Fine then" Interjected Eddy before taking Alex's plate and putting it next to his own "More for me then"

"Hey, Eddy! Come on man!" Retorted Harold, who was sitting right next to him.

"What? He says he's not hungry, so I'm eating it" Replied the club-wielding man without a care in the world "Better to have someone actually eat it than let it rot"

"Yeah...I think it would be better like that" Said Alex before getting up and walking away "I'm gonna go get some fresh air if you don't mind"

"Hey, muscle boy..."

Despite Jerico calling out to him the sportsman simply walked up the stairs and headed for the garden on the rooftop, leaving the others behind.

"Real classy, Eddy" Said Harold while looking at him with an unamused look.

"What? You're gonna give _me_ shit just because I tried to snap some sense into him?" Retorted Eddy.

"He went through a pretty nasty week with all that cave shit and the falling out, you know?"

"And _we_ had to go through some pretty nasty years while trying to find a way to live in this damn island! But we all got over it and moved on, didn't we!?" Snarled the man, notably more irritated by everyone's looks "The sooner he learns to do that, the better...Otherwise he won't make it past a year"

"Even so, it wouldn't hurt to give him at least a day or two to process it!"

While Harold and Eddy discussed about the issue for a little longer Norman decided to get away from all the noise and instead go check up on Alex. The sportsman was leaning over the railing and looking at what he initially imagined was the forest, but upon approaching the indian man noticed he was actually looking at Alice sitting down with her knees up to face level outside the house.

Upon their arrival it was clear as day everyone was in quite the distraught state yet most of the group eventually started to lighten up save for Alex and Alice, who were still in either pensive or brooding states for almost an entire week with no clear end in sight. Thanks to Jerico the traders had a more or less vague idea of what happened to cause this and how the events that took place prior to their arrival weighted down on those two the most.

It took a moment or two before Alex noticed Norman's presence, though it didn't make much of a difference to him.

"Sorry for the gloomy mood back there. I just haven't really been feeling very hungry as of late" Finally said the sportsman after some silence.

"Do not let it bother you, my friend" Replied Norman with a smile "My mother always said that when a man's heart weights too much for his chest, it falls onto his stomach and crushes even the hunger within. I suppose she was right"

Alex responded to this lighthearted comment with a short and weak smile. It wasn't very uplifting but at the very least it was the first time since their arrival that the sporstman attempted to have a brighter mood. This gave Norman the motivation to try and push the conversation a little further.

"Jerico told us what happened" He said while leaning on the wooden railing next to him and looking at Alice "I am deeply sorry for your loss"

"No, it's okay. I didn't really knew them all that well to be honest" Replied the sportsman "But lately I feel like I've been getting used to seeing people die around me...Maybe a little too much"

"It is yet another curse of living on this island. You experience certain horrors so much that you are left with no choice other than to accustom yourself to them...It was the same for all of us, including Eddy" Commented the indian man with a pensive look "I hope you can forgive him for earlier, he meant no harm by it"

"Don't worry Norman, I'm not angry...I'm just..."

Alex attempted to explain his current state of mind yet was unable to properly put it into words, yet Norman was more than capable of doing so for him.

"Disillusioned?"

"I guess you could say that" Responded the sportsman as both of them saw Lily walk out of the house and approach Alice "I honestly believed we could gather up the students from all over the island. You know, join as one group and work together in order to find a way for everyone to get out of the island and go back home"

While he explained his crushed plans, both men looked at the young woman sitting down next to Alice and seemingly speaking something to the little girl, which eventually lowered her head further against her knees. For a moment Lily reached out an arm to hug her yet stopped mid-way through as Alice got up and walked away from her.

"In the end they were just making us do the dirty work, and the very first time I actually felt like they were finally willing to help out they almost killed us all by the back" Continued Alex "In the end, turns out I was the crazy one for trusting them so easily just because we were all students of the same school"

The sportsman let out a sigh of exaustion while lowering his head. The feeling of failure was weighting down on him.

He had failed to help Max due to narrowing down all of his issues to a simple nervous breakdown caused by the island and not past trauma of abuse from both other students and even his own family twisting his mind, he failed to persuade Dahlia into helping them as he could make no solid argument to her other than "simply because we're fellow students" nor see beyond that logic, he failed to persuade the rest of the blue students into accepting Max as one of them despite getting the first artifafct and attempting to talk them into it for months with no end in sight. And now he even failed to get the third artifact they worked so hard to find for weeks despite having paid the cost of two lives.

Norman looked at him for a moment or two before looking forward at the massive trees.

"My friend, did I ever tell you about Aditya?" He questioned without diverting his gaze "He was our village's weaver and a childhood aquaintance. Aditya was a good man from a caring family who had a passion for weaving. He made more than enough of an honest earning to live comfortably and sometimes donated part of his earnings to the school we once attended to. He even got an arranged marriage with a young, beautiful woman too"

"Sounds like he was a pretty happy guy"

"Indeed, Aditya was a happpy man. Or at least he was until he began to suspect his wife was cheating on him with the neighboring village's butcher" Continued Norman while growing more stern in expression "The doubts kept haunting him until one day he went and killed the butcher before running back home and beating his wife to death...The very next day he hanged himself on his workshop"

"That's...That's awful" Said Alex.

The sportsman was honestly unsure what else to say upon hearing such a story out of the blue like that, though he was unsure what the point of it was as well.

"The vilest of demons are not the ones roaming around the island my friend, they're the ones romaing inside the mind and the heart" Explained Norman with a pensive tone "fear, doubt, hatred, anger, envy, resentment...Thoughts plagued by these emotions can drive people into taking actions that they would never do otherwise, this is something we have all have gone through. Much more than any of us could possibly be willing to admit out of shame"

"Yeah" Replied Alex, recalling the very first man he killed. His grip on the hatchets surprisingly steady as he cut him down "I think I get what you mean..."

Another short moment of silence took place as Alex thought about Norman's words. What Milly did still felt unforgivable in his eyes, but was lashing out at Angela and Sally like he did afterwards really okay? If anything, did he really lash out at the Blue flower because of the red-headed student's actions or simply because he wanted to vent out on her for commiting the same mistake he himself was just as guilty of?

One way or the other, all the toughts juggling around inside his mind only served to give him a headache rather than helping him solve anything. And this was without even taking into account the fact he still had to figure out what to do in regards to the issue with the artifacts.

"Damn it, this turned into one big mess" Said Alex with one hand on his head and his eyes closed "I don't even know what to do anymore"

"In that case why not try and put this artifact hunt of yours aside and take some time to distract yourself instead?" Proposed Norman "That way you should be able to figure out your next move more easily"

"Makes sense, I guess" Replied Alex "Still, not too sure there's any relaxing hotels or spas around the island. Or a gym, for that matter"

"I'm afraid not, but I do have a suggestion if you're interested" Commented Norman "As you may already be aware of, Fredderick the clothing trader has been suffering from back pains as of late"

"Yeah, he told me about it before"

"Well, ours and a few other trading groups have been searching around and eventually heard from a marine goods trader about a coastal tribe" Explained the indian man "This tribe deals mainly in crafts made from seashells and fish meat, but they also know how to make a special medicine out of fish oils. According to the trader, this medicine is capable of relieving and eventually healing all kinds of physical pains, including back pains"

"I see..." Commented Alex

"The tribe seems willing to receive them and make a deal for the medicine but Fredderick's back has worsened to the point many of us worry the trip could take a toll on his body. Jordan has offered to go in his stead, so how about offering up to go along with him as bodyguards?" Continued Norman "I'm certain both Fredderick and Jordan would appreciate the help, not to mention spending a day or two on the beach would be a perfect way to relieve some stress as well"

"You mean the beaches filled with giant alligators and Dilos?" Asked Alex with a raised eyebrow

"Well, more relaxing than the monster and raider-infested jungles at the very least" Replied Norman.

"Fair point...Okay, I'll do it. I'll need to ask the others if they want to tag along, though"

Though not fully sure if the beach would be as relaxing as Norman was hoping, Alex decided it was worth a shot and decided to ask the others if they were willing to go. Olivia rejected the offer as she instead preferred to stay with Jerico's group and help the cowboy-ish man do maintenance on his crossbow while Rick agreed to go with surprising eagerness, though in a way it was somewhat predictable he'd feel interested in such an idea. The purple flower was quick to accept the proposition as as well since she also felt the trip might help cheer Alice up a little, though convincing the latter took quite a fair share of effort.

Once they eventually got her to tag along Alex went to visit Fredderick's group and offered to help them out, the middle-aged man was more than glad to hear of this and accepted right away before setting everything up for them to make trip the following day.

"Alright then, is everyone ready?" Asked Jordan while looking at the four of them before facing forward "In that case, let's get going!"

The man nudged the Stegosaurus to move forward by using the reels while everyone rode on its back. Slowly but steadily the spiked dinosaur began to walk forward towards their destination.

Rick rested against one of the large scales on the back while Alice sat down against another scale with her knees up to face-level and arms wrapped around them. Both Alex and Lily, who sat behind the trader, looked at the little girl for a moment or two before Jordan spoke up.

"Thanks again for the help, darlings" He said with a gleeful tone "I was honestly debating wheter to ask you to help or not and then you suddenly just come up to our tree to offer a hand of your own accord. Such selfishness is worth quite a high score, let me tell you."

"No, it's no problem really. If anything, I felt like the trip to the beach would make for a nice change of pace" Replied Alex before looking back at Alice again with slight concern "For all of us"

"I see..."

Though many things weighted down on Alex's mind he couldn't but keep thinking about Alice right now. The little girl usually made an effort to be cheerful and light up the mood for others alongside Lily, yet she had been awfully quiet as of late. Not only that, but the apathy she expressed towards most of the young woman's attempts to cheer her up and even the trip itself were getting concerning. He couldn't really blame her for it either, especially after hearing about what happened during the latest confrontation with her older brother from the Purple flower.

Alex always carried the sneaking suspicion something was off with the Rockwell family yet the truth was beyond anything he could have expected. He couldn't imagine just how much of an impact it had on Alice's mind, especially considering the rather harsh way she was forced to face this revelation.

"Hey, Lily. How is Alice doing?" He asked to her with the hopes of hearing at least some faintly good news.

The young woman initially shook her head with her eyes closed before speaking up.

"Not good at all. She barely eats or sleeps, she does nothing but sit down and stare at the forest in silence" She replied with notable concern in her tone and a dejected expression as well "She doesn't want to talk with me either. She probably hates me for what happened with Max..."

"Come on now, that's not true" Quickly said Alex "You were just trying to help"

"Even so, I ended up doing something I shouldn't have" Persisted Lily "I tried to help but in then end I just made everything worse..."

Though bearing no ill will when doing them, the young woman felt like her actions were the real reason behind this disastrous result and felt deeply regretful for them. Unfortunately Alex was unsure what to say or do to convince her otherwise.

Jordan couldn't help but listen to them talk yet refrained from prying and instead focused on leading the tame through the forests.

A sombre aura lingered in the air during the whole trip from when they left the redwoods and crossed the river to when they ventured through the tropical Western jungles. They faced the occasional Raptor or Carno attack but it didn't pose too much of a problem as they were easy to fend off with the combined strength of the group's metal weapons and the Stego's powerful tail attacks.

Eventually they reached the coastline and from there found a portion that extended out further into the ocean, in that place they spotted a small village composed of a dozen or so simple thatch huts and a few woodend rafts alongside the coast. The bigger raft looked like it could be capable of carrying about a dozen people or so and resembled a fishing boat or an old boat from the 17th century.

"Is that the place?" Asked Alex.

"Hm...This is the location marked down on the map, so yes. It should be" Replied Jordan while looking at the map "Well then, we won't find out by sitting here. Let's go and ask"

Though unsure if it was the right tribe the group decided to carefully approach them. As expected they were received by guards dressed in cloth clothing, with some choosing to wear no shoes or shirts due to the heat, pointing their spears and arrows at them. Fortunately they put down their weapons and received the group more readily after Jordan explained the motive of their visit and gave them a letter to prove their identity as traders.

Upon entering further into the village they were received by a man dressed in a blue hide coat over blue fiber pants and shoes along with a white fiber shirt and a black captain's cap. He had brown hair and a messy beard along with a more or less average body with a beer belly and was just a half a head or so taller than Alex.

"Ahoy! So ye be the landlubbers I was told about?" He spoke with a rough yet confident tone and a smirk "Welcome! I'm sparkleg, captain of the sparkleg pirates and this tribe here be me hearty crew!"

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Jordan, the trader who works alongside Fredderick and these darlings here are my companions" Replied Jordan before gesturing at Alex's group "I'm sure you already know why we're here, right?"

"Aye! Ye landlubbers want some of me tribe's oil fish medicine fer yer bucko. The trader we deal with told us everything already" Asserted Captain sparkleg with both arms crossed "Follow me and we'll talk some sweet trade. Yer mateys can wait here but be no rapscallions now, me crew be watching ye"

"A-A what now?" Asked Alex with a raised eyebrow, who was having a difficult time following what the man was saying every now and then.

"A mischievous person. He basically told us to cause no trouble while he's talking with Jordan" Explained Rick without moving from his spot.

"Ohhhhhhh" Said both Alex and Lily at the same time.

"Why does he talk like that, though?" Asked the young woman before showing sudden excitement "Is he actually a real pirate!?"

"Aye lassie! I'm a man of the seven seas! A pirate!"

"Either that or someone who's really obsessed with pirate talk" Quietly said the sailor while looking away from the leader of the coastal tribe.

Fortunately his extra comment went unheard by Sparkleg, who was instead leading Jordan to his hut to make bussines with him. Eventually his attention was directed elsewhere as a man's voice called out to him.

"Rick? Rick, is that you?"

"Huh?"

Upon turning his head the sailor saw a middle-aged man with dark grey-ish hair approaching the Stego. Unlike his fellow tribemen he was dressed in a white shirt and pants, both torn and dirty, along with a captain's hat. It took only one look at the man's face for Rick to recognize him as his employer and captain.

"Captain!?" He said with shock and widened eyes before getting off of the Stego and approaching him in a rush "Captain, you're alive!"

The sailor's face lightened up in a way Alex nor Lily had ever seen before. For the first time since they met Rick looked genuinely happy.

"Captain, I thought you were dead!" Continued Rick with both arms on the middle-aged man's shoulders.

"I could say the same thing about you" Replied the captain of the cruise "I feared the storm might have sent you to Davy Jone's locker"

The purple flower and the sportsman looked at the two men speaking to each other before the captain noticed their uniforms and brought them up.

"Are those students from the cruise?" He asked.

"Yes. I met with them right after we got shipwrecked" Answered Rick before looking at the trio "They're Alex, Lily and the little one on the back is Alice. She's the sibling of another student"

The middle-aged man looked at them with a mixture of relief and guilt before speaking to them.

"I am terribly sorry about all of this. I cannot even imagine how horrible it must have been for you and your classmates"

Both studetns lowered their gaze with pensive expressions, though Rick was quick to try and ease the man's guilt.

"Please don't blame yourself, captain. There was no way we could have known something like that was going to happen"

"Tha-that's right...And even if you did, I don't think any ship could have escaped from something like that" Added Alex as well.

Their attempts didn't seem to cheer up the cruise captain but at the very least he seemed grateful for their effort.

"Well then, I believe we have some catching up to do" He said before gesturing them to follow and turning around.

Rick and the group followed behind the middle-aged man deeper into the coastal village while leaving the Stego to rest and feed in peace. The sound of the waves of endless clear blue water kept going back and forth while the winds blew along the coast.

While the sailor and his captain exchanged information and caught up to what they've been up to and what they discovered over the last couple of months Alex, Lily and Alice simply relaxed by looking at the waves and the ocean spreading out into the horizon, the last of the trio sitting at a short distance away from the others.

"So how did you end up joining a coastal tribe?" Asked Rick.

"Well, I was escaping from a pack of alligators and happened to run into Sparkleg and his tribemates" Explained the cruise captain "He and his tribe took a liking to me after I told them a few tales about my years riding the waves during World War II and they accepted me as one of their own. It was certainly a lot better than constantly being on the run from pre-historic monsters day and night"

"Yeah, I get what you mean" Replied the Sailor.

"By the way, did you found out anything about the rest of the crew yet?" Asked the captain.

"I'm afraid not. They're either probably spread out with small tribes around the place like you or...well..."

A short moment of grim silence took over as both imagined the unlucky fate of their fellow crewmates before everyone heard Jordan's voice and turned their heads to see him coming over with a rather distressed expression.

"Jordan? What happened?" Asked Alex while getting up "Did the deal go okay?"

"Ye-Yes, I managed to strike a deal but this might be rather troublesome one" Replied the trader with a concerned expression "You see, my boy...The thing is, I'll need you and Rick's help for this"

"Me?" Asked Rick before everyone saw captain Sparkleg approaching with a smirk.

"Hope yer ready to get pressed into service, lads!" Said the pirate with a spear in his hand and a net over his other shoulder "Cause yer gonna go do me some fishing!"

* * *

*Scene*

* * *

"Ha!" Shouted Alex as he stabbed into the water with his spear.

The sharpened rock tip dug under the surface and straight at a Coelacanth swimming underneath, stabbing and piercing through the piscine creature as it struggled for a few seconds while Alex pulled it out of the water.

Deep-knee in the water, both him and Rick hunted down fish with a bone spear and a fishing net while the rest of the group sat on the shore and watched them, Lily in particular using the opportunity to draw them. Though Alice didn't seem as interested to watch the fishing taking place as the others.

"Yes! I got it!" He cheered in joy.

"Not bad, lad!" Said Captain Sparkleg with a satisfied tone "Yer no first rate I'll tell you that, but ye certainly show ya know the ropes!"

Alex didn't quite understand some of the slang used by the so-called pirate and his rougher accent didn't exactly help yet he could at least tell his achievement was being praised, or at least he hoped it was.

"Thanks?"

"Oh my, I didn't think you were so skilled at spearfishing" Said Jordan with honest amazement from the pleasant surprise.

"We traveled around rivers during our first few weeks on the island so I had plenty of practice already" Replied the spotrsman before looking at Rick "Though I can't even compare to Rick"

In contrast to Alex who had managed to gather about two or three fish in thirty minutes or so of searching the sailor managed to gather over twice that amount in the same time, this was mainly thanks to far fewer fish escaping him as his strikes were better timed, more precise and he was also able to better predict which direcction the fish would attempt to swim away in and use the net to stop them before taking them down with a second stab.

"Aye, yer matey's got a copper-bottomed eye for catching them fishes" Commented captain sparkleg "Where did ya learn to spear them like that, bucko?"

"The Bois Fort indians taught me how to spear during winter and how to net during summer when I was fourteen, I also learned a few other fishing techniques from a couple of other west-coast indian tribes like the Quillayute and the Goshute but for now this is about as much as I can do with what I've got" Explained the sailor, still focused on spearing and capturing fish.

"Eh? You grew up with indians?" Asked Alex this time.

"No. My mother simply used to take me with her to visit the tribes and learn how to fish from them during summer and winter breaks. She always ended up giving most of what we caught to the locals to either eat or sell so she had an easy time befriending them" Continued explaining the sailor "She was something of a fishing hobbyist and always loved to go fishing whenever she could take a break from working with my father and his research"

"Research, you say?"

"Rick's father is a marine biologist and his mother works with him as a diver" Explained the Cruise captain, who was sitting alongside Lily.

"She loved to capture what lived in the water and he loved to study what lived in the water. They always complimented each other in that way" Continued the sailor before spearing yet another fish.

"Huh..." Said Alex with certain interest in his tone "I never heard you talking about yourself before, Rick."

"You never asked" Replied Rick calmly.

"True" Asserted the sportsman before spearing a fish but unfortunately failing and letting it escape "Damn it, I missed...Hey cap, how many more of these do we need to make that medicine?"

"Argh, the Coealacanth is not the fish ya need to make the medicine lads" Explained Sparkleg "The medicing yer looking for is made from the oil of another fish named "Salmon Sabertooth". Those rapscallions live deeper underwather"

"Eh!? Really!?" Said Lily, whose focus was more leaned towards the conversation taking place now that her drawing was mostly done.

"Wait, what?" Asked Alex "Then why did you make us capture these ones?"

"For food, of course. Coelacanth ain't that pricey in the market but sure makes for good food for my crew" Continued the pirate captain.

"Are you telling me you used us to catch you your dinner!?" Questioned the sportsman.

Alex was notably irritated by the news, and Sparkleg not only could notice this but was also quick to act.

"Easy now, lad. Don't go blowing yer top off just yet and listen to this old pirate" He interjected "Ya got me a much better haul than expected so how about this? I'mma sweeten the deal and lend ya one of me best fishermen to help out"

"One of your fisherment?"

"Aye. I've got me one copper-bottomed fisher among me crew that knows the ropes when ya need some Salmon fished. Ya get yer medicine and we keep the meat for selling, I'll even let ya keep some of the Coelacanth fer yerself" Asserted Sparkleg "So, what'cha say, bucko? Deal?"

Alex looked at the pirate for a moment as he got the odd feeling he was actually planning this little twist from the start. Then again, he was a pirate after all. If it wasn't for Fredderick, he probably would have put down the spear and walked away.

"Deal..."

"Yo-ho-ho! We got a deal then!" Said Sparkleg with delight before turning around to look at his tribemates "Avast, me crew! Bring me the mermaid lass!"

As the pirate captain called out to his tribe they all gathered in front of him, though many were slightly anxious and hesitant before one of them spoke up to reveal the reason behind their current state.

"Erm, captain...Maya's not here..."

"What'cha mean by that!?" Questioned the pirate.

"We haven't seen her in hours, actually" Said another tribe member "I think she said something about going for a dive"

"Then what'cha waiting for ye bunch of sea cows!? Find her before I break yer barnacles!"

"Ye-Yes captain!"

The tribe's men and women quickly spread out to search around the base for the so called mermaid yet none of them seemed to have any luck so far, which only served to irritate Sparkleg even further.

"Shiver me timbers, where did that little rapscallion run off to now!?" He questioned with an irritated tone while looking around "Maya! Maya, where are ya!? Ya better come out now or I'll make ye walk the plank!"

Sparkleg kept calling out to Maya for a few more moments before a figure eventually jumped out of the water just a short distance away, this was followed by a sound that the group almost instantly recognized as a Dolphin's call.

"Ah, there she be" Said the pirate, notably unamused at the moment "Damn lass, messing around with her dolphin pet again"

The dolphin called out a few more times before swimming towards the sandy shallows, and together with it a second figure appeared. This one was not another dolphin-like animal but a human. A young woman with moca-colored skin and light green eyes, her hair was about chest to waist-lenght and quite messy, her body was in notably good shape and well-toned due to spending so much time swimming everyday though a few cuts and scrapes could be seen here and there.

Currently she was only wearing simple panties and what seemed like a strapless sports bra, both made out of clothing, along with a piece of cloth wrapped around the upper portion of her head. Part of her hair was tucked in under the wrap to help keep her vision clear but a few bangs slipped out and framed her face. On one hand she had a spear and on the other a small hide bag.

Oddly enough, she was wearing a belt with a couple of jars full of what seemed to be honey.

"Maya! Where the hell were ya at, ya damn lass!?"

"Huh? I was doing some diving, that's all" Replied the woman with an unamused tone "What's with you?"

She didn't seem happy at all to be yelled at by Sparkleg, whose anger didn't ease up in the least.

"Don'cha dare tell me ya were searching for that damn mystic fish again!" Nagged the irritated pirate "I keep telling ya, yer job's to gather sillica pearls! Sillica pearls! Not look for children's tales!"

"And I keep telling you it's real! I saw it!" Snarled Maya while planting her spear firmly against the sand "Besides, what's the big problem with me searching for it as long as I keep bringing you pearls!?"

"Talking about that, did'cha bring some pearls this time?" Questioned Sparkleg, quickly changing the subject as his mind focused on the last word she said.

The diver simply passed her small bag at the pirate captain before he caught it and looked at the handful of pearls inside.

"Arrrgh...I'll let this one slip, but ya better drop that damn search and find me more pearls instead next time!" He said after counting the pearls and looking at her again "Or I'll make ye walk the plank and feed ya to the Megalodons!"

"You mean the plank of the ship you sank while trying to ram it against the barrier last year?" Questioned Maya with her arms crossed "Cause I'm pretty sure that one's still rotting at the bottom of the reefs along with the rest of the ship"

"Shut yer trap, ya little rat! Yer lucky the chief likes ya or I'd have sent ya straight to Davy Jone's locker already!" Snarled Sparkleg "Either way, just listen. I've got a job for ya"

The woman looked at the pirate with a raised eyebrow before finally noticing Alex's group, who were up until now quietly witnessing the argument taking place.

"Landlubbers here need Sabertooth Salmon for that special medicine of yers, and I offered ye up to help them do some fishing"

"Why me?" Asked Maya.

"Because I said so, now shut yer trap and obey yer captain!" Argued the pirate captain "And ye better bring more salmon than pearls or I'll chop up yer dolphin friend and serve'im for dinner!"

And with that warning Sparkleg walked away, giving the woman no further explanation as she gave him a rather nasty glare before turning her head to look at Alex and Rick, then noticing Timothy, the cruise captain among them.

"Hey, mister Tim. What was the greasy old fart talking about?"

"Well, you see..."

The captain of the shipwrecked cruise proceeded to explain Maya the situation surrounding Alex's group and their need in regards to the medicine that could only be made from the Sabertooth Salmon's oil.

"...And that's pretty much the situation at hand" Said the cruise captain after finishing his explanation "Putting Sparkleg aside these people are friends of mine, I'd appreciate it if you helped them out"

"Well, since you're the one asking I don't really mind. Besides I'd rather not deal with that rotten old pirate again if I can help it" Replied Maya with a more friendly expression and tone "Sabertooth Salmon are pretty vicious when attacked, though. You guys sure you're up for it?"

"Don't worry about us. We're ready for it" Commented Alex with both hands on his spear.

"If you say so. Keep in mind, swinging a spear underwater ain't the same as swinging it on dry land" Warned the fisherwoman before taking a hold of her spear and turning around "The Salmons live pretty deep into the sea so we'll need a raft for you two. Come on, follow me"

Both the sailor and the sportsman looked at Timothy, who nodded at them as a way to affirm they could rely on her, before following her alongside the coastline and borrowing a raft for the trio to venture into open waters. Alex and Rick used the raft while Maya instead rode on her Ichthyosaurus tame, which swam slightly ahead in search of a good fishing spot.

"Alright, stop the raft. I think I saw a couple of them somewhere around this area earlier while diving for pearls"

Following the diver's words Rick pulled up the sail and tossed a bag full of rocks tied to the sail's mast, the bag quickly sunk down to the sea floor and effectively stopped the raft from getting dragged by the waves.

"Which one of you can hold their breath the longest?" She asked while looking at both of them.

"I think I can hold it for about a minute or so..." Replied Alex.

"Around five to six minutes, I think. Seven If I push it a little" Replied Rick this time, giving a much more impressive answer.

"In that case, you'll come with me" Decided Maya while looking at Rick, and then looking at Alex "And you will stay here to watch over the raft"

Both men agreed with her decision and Rick took a hold of his spear before getting into the water with the woman. But at that moment a sudden thought popped up in Alex's mind.

"Now that I think about it, how long can you hold your breath underwater?"

"About fifteen to seventeen minutes" She replied calmly despite the shocked faces of the sailor and the sportsman "I can hold it up to twenty minutes if I try really hard, though"

"Tw-Twenty minutes!? Is that even possible!?" Asked the sportsman.

"It is possible...Though it's pretty much a world-record level at that point" Answered the sailor while sweat dropping.

"Come on now, we should hurry up and get this over with before it gets dark" Interjected the diver to try and make both men focus back on the task "Believe me, you don't want to be out in open sea at night"

"Okay then"

"Also be careful with the Salmon. They might seem passive at first but the whole pack will become extremely aggressive when one gets attacked"

Rick nodded in agreement before both of them and the aquatic tame went underwater. Holding onto his breath the sailor looked around him and saw an endless world of pure blue. The sensation of his body floating, free of all bindings, invoked a sense of nostalgia and freedom in him that unfortunately he couldn't afford to thoroughly enjoy, he had a job to take care of Maya soon reminded him of it as she urged him to follow after her.

The sailor attempted to focus on the task at hand and dived deeper alongside the diver and her tame, all three heading deeper and deeper into the cold waters. Rick didn't have too much problem dealing with the cold, he barely even seemed to think of it as his mind was too focused on looking at Maya swimming. He always liked to think of himself as a proficient individual when it came to swimming but he paled in comparison to the diver. Her movements were so smooth and swift that he now understood why she had the nickname "mermaid" given to her. Her expression as well was one of ease of mind and focus, as if her mind found the balance to push aside all other thoughts and focus solely on the act of diving itself.

While swimming they passed a school of Coelacanth swimming close to the surface and even got followed by a couple of curious wild Ichthyosaurus that eventually swam away as they headed deeper. In the distance Rick could see a couple of very large sharks swimming about yet Maya's lack of interest in them gave him the feeling they were probably not an inmediate concern, at least as long as they kept their distance.

After a moment or two they finally found a school of Sabertooth Salmons, though instead of attacking them all at once Asha and Rick waited until one or two lingered away from the rest to ambush it together. Surprisingly enough a Salmon would end up getting sepparate from the school quite often as they didn't seem to be heading in any direcction and rather just lazed around the general area.

Every couple of minutes or so the sailor had to swim back up to the surface to regain air and bring Alex one or two captured Salmons, though while he had to surface and submerging about three or four times Maya hardly needed to do it just once. A few times the Salmons grew restless and even tried to fight back when the spears failed to kill them right away yet the diver and her piscine tame were more than capable of quelling down the attempts of retaliation. Things took a rather dangerous turn when the blood spilling into the water began to attract Megalodons closer yet this didn't stop them.

Eventually one of the Sabertooth Salmons slipped off after getting hit and attempted to escape deeper as Rick chased after it. Almost right away he was stopped by Maya but the confused sailor was quickly made to understand why as a Megalodon got attracted by the blood and rushed at the Salmon to devour it, though the shark itself soon became the prey of a far larger and far more terrifying creature that emerged from the depths.

Rick's blood froze as he saw the imposing shark getting trapped like a mere snack by the jaws of what he could only describe as a sea monster before it descended back down into the dark depths of the abyss that it called home.

Both of them swam back up to the surface afterwards and got up on the raft with Alex, who carefully stacked up the Salmons and tied them up using a fishnet and some rope to make sure none would slip off and fall into the ocean.

"What the hell was that thing we just saw!?" Asked Rick while turning to look at Asha "It was about the size of a whale!"

"Wait, what did you see down there?" Asked Alex this time, growing uneasy at the possibility of getting attacked out in open waters.

"A Mosasaurus, they're the apex predators of the oceanic depths" Replied the diver while sitting on the edge of the raft "Don't worry, the wild ones don't swim above a certain depth so we'll be fine up here. We should still hurry up and go back, the blood from the salmon could attract more Megalodons if we stick around for too long"

The sportsman nodded in agreement and began to pull up the improvised anchor while Rick lowered the sail. The winds weren't quite as strong as before so the trip back was much slower, and in order to kill some time Alex attempted to strike up a conversation.

"Hey...Maya?" Asked the sportsman while looking at her "Mind if ask you something?"

"What is it?" She Asked back.

"That Sparkleg guy mentioned something about a chief earlier. He's not the tribe's leader?" Questioned Alex.

He was not fully sure where to start from, so he chose to use what he heard from her earlier conversation with the pirate captain.

"No he's not and for that I thank the gods. Otherwise we'd be spending every single day searching for pearls non-stop and building him a brand new ship for him to wreck all over again" She replied with notable irritation in her tone "Our tribe's chief lives in the miniature island to the south-east with a few other aquatic tribes in a community of sorts. We are a scouting group sent to look for potential sites to harvest resources like Pearls and Oil"

"Thinking about it, you did say something about his ship sinking to the bottom of the ocean earlier too. What was that about?" Asked the sportsman.

"The island we live in is mainly protected by both a small group of ships and a large amount of water tames like Megalodons and Plesiosaurus" Further explained Maya "That guy proved to be quite experienced at naval warfare and had a knack for commanding a crew so they appointed him as captain of one of the larger ships, but last year the rotten fool thought he could break through the barrier by raming his ship against it"

"Somehow I get the feeling it didn't work out all that well for him" Commented Rick.

"The ship got wrecked and sunk down to the bottom of the ocean along with half of the crew, afterwards they demoted him to scouting squad leader" She continued "Now the dumbass thinks he can earn back the favor of the chiefs and get his old postition back by bringing the motherlode to them. Working for him is a pain in the ass but at the very least I can search for the Liopleurodon all I want out here"

Both men looked at the fisherwoman for a moment or two in silence, up until now they couldn't help but notice she had a less than favorable oppinion of the pirate captain by how she spoke of him and now it was a little more clear why. With that said there was still one doubt left in their minds.

"What's a Liopleurodon?" Asked Alex, much to the curiosity of both of them.

"The Liopleurodon is an ancient, magical creature that lives somewhere in the seas around the island" Replied Maya with notable excitement in her tone and expression "Many people believe it's just a legend but it's real! I know it is!"

"Wait, wait...What do you mean by "magical"?" Questioned Rick this time with uncertainty.

"Legends say the Liopleurodon holds magical power and will lead those who find it and gain its favor by feeding it honey to treasures beyond their wildest dreams" Continued the diver while looking at the sailor this time "Of course, since there's rumored to be only one in existence and the sightings are extremely rare most people think it's just a legend"

"So you want to find it to get riches?" Asked Alex.

"I don't really care about finding treasure, I just want to find the Liopleurodon" Asserted Maya with a stern tone and expression "I want to find it and prove everyone it's real..."

Both the sportsman and the sailor looked at each other again for a moment or two, giving Maya the feeling they didn't believe their story in the least until Rick spoke up.

"Sounds like quite the convenient story. Still, I've seen crazier things in this island so it's definitely possible" He said while laying down on the raft.

"So that's why you're carrying flasks with honey even though you went diving? " Added Alex "Guess it kind of makes sense since you never know when you could run into it"

"You...You guys believe me?"

"Like I said, we saw way crazier things already" Assured Rick.

"A couple of weeks ago we found a screaming feathered dinosaur and a werewolf named Lupa on the snow biome, so your story is not all that far fetched" Added Alex "I mean, I'm sure there's probably a more logical and grounded explanation for the Liopleurodon but that doesn't mean it can't be real either"

"A-A werewolf!?" Asked Maya with a paler expression "Weren't those just an urban myth to scare children!?"

"So you can believe in a one-of-a-kind legendary magical fish but not in a half human half wolf creature?" Questioned the sailor while sweatdropping "On hindsight, I can kind of understand why..."

"I guess it would be possible for a werewolf to exist a wolf mated with a human or the other way around..." Conjectured Maya "I did hear of a northern tribe that attempted to breed a werewolf they could use against the legion by doing that with their tames a few years ago"

"Why did you have to put that image in my mind?" Asked Rick with a slightly nauseated look.

"We-Well, that aside I wouldn't worry all that much" Interjected Alex with a weak smile "Lupa is stronger than your average human but she's also really friendly towards people"

The sportsman couldn't help but feel the conversation was taking a rather disturbing turn so he quickly attempted to change the subject by bringing up something rather important.

"A-Anyway, I've been meaning to ask but what do we do with the Salmons once we get them back to the settlement?"

"Just leave them to me, I'll extract the oil from their tissues and use it to create the medicine" Replied Maya.

"Wait, so you're the one who makes the medicine too?" Asked Rick this time "I didn't know you were also a doctor"

"No, I'm not a doctor. I just know how to prepare the pills, beyond that I hardly know anything medicine-related besides basic first aid"

As the sportsman turned his head to look at the stacked up fish next to him once more he couldn't help but get lost in thought. All that talk about medicine and oils started to remind him of his classes back from the green school. These memories kept lingering in his mind for a moment or two before Rick called out to him.

"Alex...Hey, Alex!"

"Huh? What wrong?" Asked Alex.

"That's what I wanted to ask" Replied the sailor "Everything okay? You looked like you were under the weather for a moment there"

"Ah, sorry...I was just thinking about the path we'd take for the trip back to the Redwoods"

Rick could faintly tell Alex was not being honest but decided not to press the issue any further. Instead he chose to leave the task of steering the raft to the fisherwoman before approaching the sportsman and sitting next to him, bringing up a question that lingered in his mind for a while now.

"So...When are you planning to talk about what happened with Alice?"

"Lily already explained what happened the other day to her" Bluntly replied the sportsman.

Alex was faintly aware of what Rick was hinting at with his question but attempted to dodge the subject nonetheless. Unfortunately Rick was not letting this one slip by so easily.

"You know what I'm talking about, Alex" Interjected Rick "You really need to have a proper talk with Alice. Ever since we left the Weathertop she's been pretty subdued lately, and it's only gonna get worse if we don't do something"

"And you want _me_ to talk with her?"

"She's been ignoring Lily so far and knowing my skills with children or heart to heart talks I doubt I'll do any better" Commented the sailor "Besides, you've known those siblings for far longer than either of us. You'll have an easier time getting her to open up to you"

Alex didn't say anything in return this time around, instead giving into silence as Rick got back up on his feet.

"Do whatever you want. Just keep in mind that the more she thinks about it, the worse it's gonna get"

With those words of advice the sailor returned to the fisherwoman side and focused on steering the raft while Alex looked at his own reflection in the water.

Once again Alex received unwanted advice that just added up to the pressure weighting down on him. Both Rick and Norman's words were only meant to help him yet at the same time he could feel the hints hidden behind them, the indirect attempts to urge him into doing something or merely dumping the responsibility of something on him. Always expecting him to make a decision, to take action even when uncertainty or the fear of failure being blamed upon him lingered in his mind. Such was the burden of those placed in a position of leadership, wether it happens with or without their consent.

In a way, it made Alex wonder if this is what Angela had to go through everyday while doing her best to keep order among the blue students who would otherwise start going at each other's throats at the first sign of trouble. This did not make him feel any less justified in his angry outburst, but it did make him ponder about it.

Rick did not speak any further with Alex, instead he left him alone to ponder on his thoughts while the sailor focused on steering the raft while engaging in conversation with the fisherwoman. Around an hour or so went by before the trio returned to the sandy coasts with the spoils of the hunt.

They were greeted by Lily, Jordan and Timothy who awaited their return. Sparkleg, who took a much bigger interest on their cargo than the trio themselves, was also there. While he got in a slight argument with Maya about making sure to keep the prime meat as intact as possible for selling later on and Rick helped unload the salmon Alex turned his head and saw Alice sitting down on the coast just a few meters away from everyone else, her eyes focused seemingly without any real interest in the ocean streching out in front of her.

The sportsman and the sailor exchanged stares for a moment or two before the former sighed and walked towards her. If he was to have this conversation with Alice, might as well do it sooner than later.

"Hey there Alice" He said with a casual tone "Enjoying the beach?"

"Not really..." She replied bluntly

"I-I see..." Commented Alex while sweat dropping "Do you mind if I sit here with you...?"

The little girl didn't reply to his question, though she didn't reject him either.

"Okay then...I'll just...sit down here..."

The mood at the moment was rather awkward to say the least. Usually Alex had little issue in breaking the ice with young women during his times as the star and number one sportsman in the green school but this was proving far more difficult than expected. Of course, seducing a woman into a one-night relationship and having a heart to heart talk with an emotionally scarred child required extremely different skillsets.

Nonetheless Alex knew he had to keep trying, and so he decided to just go straight for it.

"Lily told me about what happened the other day" He said quite bluntly "Can we talk about it?"

He could come up with no other way of bringing up the subject that didn't require some persuation or smooth talking, but Alex didn't want to take that approach. He tried that with Max multiple times and the results spoke for themselves, perhaps it was for the best to just be honest and straight-forward about it.

"I don't really want to talk about it..." She replied with a dejected tone.

"Yeah, me neither...But we do need to talk about it" He replied back while looking at her.

"Why?" She questioned.

"Because I'm worried about you, and so is everyone else" Explained Alex to her "I can't imagine how you're feeling right now but shutting yourself away from the world is not gonna make the problem go away"

Alice didn't reply at first, she simply remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking up.

"Hey, Alex...Do you think it was okay for me to be born?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

The sportsman looked at her with bewilderment, unable to understand the point of such a sudden and seemingly random question.

"Max told me that all the bad things dad did to him happened because I was born and became her sister" Explained the little girl, her face buried behind her knees "Maybe he was right all along, maybe it really is my fault...Maybe it would have been better if I had never been born to begin with..."

"That is not true. This isn't your fault" Replied Alex "That drunken old asshole is the one at fault here, not you"

"But-"

"Alice, he was beating him up years before your mother married him and you became step-brothers. It has nothing to do with your birth, so don't think like that"

"Even so! I didn't notice!" Snarled Alice with a notably more lively tone while getting up on her feet and looking at him "Even though dad was always being so horrible to him, I always ignored it! Even though I always ignored it when he needed help the most, the first thing I did after we ended up here was hope he would keep me safe!"

The sportsman looked with widened eyes as Alice's eyes soon began to get teary-eyed.

"Even though I never really cared about being a good sister, I kept saying all that stuff about being siblings and family...All just because I was scared!" She said while sobbing as tears began to run down her face "I...I'm a bad person!"

Alex looked with a sunken heart as at long last Alice broke down and cried her eyes out in front of him for what felt like the very first time. He didn't even hesitate to get up and wrap his arms around her in a hug. For nearly ten minutes she kept crying non-stop, her tears falling down like little droplets and getting lost into the vastness of the ocean which went back and forth. The sounds of the waves echoing alongside her cries before she eventually calmed down and allowed the two of them to sit down together once more.

"Are you feeling a little better now?" Asked Alex,

"I think so..." Replied the little girl, taking a short moment of silence before speaking once more "Hey, Alex...What do we do now?"

The sportsman took a moment to think about the question posed by Alice. Had she asked a few days or even a few hours earlier there might have been no clear answer, but now Alex felt like he had a faint idea.

"To be honest with you, everytime I try to take the lead or make a decision things either go horribly wrong or become even more complex" He replied while looking at the orange skies "But even then, we can't just give up on finding a way out of the island. At least that much I'm sure of"

After standing back up on his feet and brushing off the sand in his pants, Alex took a breath while looking forward with both hands on his hips.

"Once we go back to the Redwoods, I'll have a proper meeting with everyone and we'll try to figure out a solution to this" He continued before placing one hand on the back of his head.

A moment or two of silence took place as Alice lowered her head to look at the sand, then looked forward at the sunset once more.

"I think I know what I want to do now" Said the little girl with a more confident tone.

"Hm? What's that?" he asked while turning his head to look at her.

"I want to find Max and talk with him..."

Alex's expression quickly changed into one of bewilderment as he heard this statement from Alice, though she was quick to elaborate on her words.

"I know he probably won't want to listen to me, but I still want to try" She explained "I want to try and talk things out with him, and I'll keep trying until he hears me out"

"But why, though?"

"I mean, mom and dad were always mean to him and that's why he's like that right?" Continued the little girl while looking at him with a lightened up expression "So I'll do my best to make up for it, I'll keep trying lots and lots until it finally works out!"

"Alice..."

To Alex, especially after the last few days, Alice's idea felt nothing short naive and even childish, yet at the same time there was something inspiring about it. In a way it made him want to support her on that endeavor.

"In that case, I'll do my best to help you out" He said while looking at her with a smile "After all, I've been wanting to give Max a piece of my mind for a while now too"

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Cheered Alice.

The sportsman looked at the little girl getting pumped up about her newly decided course of action before suddenly thinking about Angela. If they were to try and talk things out with the young man at some point, then perhaps it wouldn't really hurt to pay the blue flower a visit later down the line as well.

But all of that thinking could be left for later. Right now, he decided to instead just try and enjoy the sunset for once.

* * *

*Scene*

* * *

With the Sabertooth Salmon acquired Maya was able to make the promised medicine in exchange of letting Sparkleg's crew keep the most vaulable prime cuts of meat, as according to the agreement made between him and Jordan. The following day Alex's group was fully prepared for the trip back to the Redwoods.

"Argh! Pleasure doing bussines with ye!" Said the pirate captain with a wide grin.

"Take care on your journey back home" Added Maya while handling over the small bag full of medicine "Here, I hope this helps cure your friend's ailment"

Upon looking into the bag he saw the fish oil medicine was a pop-up like shaped pill wrapped in leaves from trees. It had a slightly yellow-ish color that reminded him of honey but with a tinge of red as well.

"Tell your friend to take one in the morning, and one in the night before going to sleep" She continued "The symptoms of pain should subside after a couple of days, but make sure he takes the right amount everyday"

"Thank you, we really appreciate this" Said Alex while beaming at her.

"Indeed! Your medicinal skills are worth an extremely high score!" Added Jordan witch excitement, much to Maya's confusion in regards to his curious way to praise her.

On the sideline, Rick decided to have one last conversation with his former boss.

"Captain, are you sure you don't want to come with us?" He asked, attempting to convince him one more time.

"Thank you for the offer but I'm doing okay here. Men like me are more at ease when closer to the waves, though I'm sure you know what I mean" Replied Timothy with one hand on his hat "If anything, why don't you just stay here with us instead? You'd fit right in"

Rick took a moment to consider the offer before turning his head to look at Alex and the others for a moment or two before looking once again at his captain with a certain mixture of uncertainty.

"I'm sorry, but that won't do" Replied the sailor "Those three, especially the guy, have the bad habit of diving headfirst into all sorts of trouble without even thinking. Someone has to be there to make sure they don't drown"

Timothy looked at him before beaming with a feeling of ease and pride in his eyes as he looked at his grandson.

"Heh, I figured you'd say that" Said the cruise captain with a tone of confidence "Just try to take care out there, okay? My daughter would feed me to the sharks if something happened to her son"

Rick nodded in agreement before he heard Alex calling out to him from the top of the Stego.

"Hey, Rick! We're ready to go!"

"Just a moment!" He replied before looking at Timothy one more time "Alright, I guess it's time to go. Take care gram-I mean, captain..."

"Likewise, Rick. Have a safe trip"

The cruise captain placed one hand on Rick's shoulder for a few seconds with a slight shake before moving it away and letting him go back to Alex and the others.

Now with the medicine in their posession and ready to go, the group departed while waving goodbye at Maya and Timothy. Eventually they left the beaches and ventured back into the forests, following the same slow but steady path they used earlier until Alice noticed something rather concerning mid-way through crossing the river.

"Hey, everyone...What's that over there?" She asked while pointing to the south.

Past the swamps and the forests, a column of black smoke could be seen rising up into the skies above the trees. The large size signaling to the group that it was being produced by a large fire.

"Do you think it's a wildfire?" Asked Alex while looking at Jordan.

"No, the southern areas of the island are too humid for wildfires to take place. At least not to a magnitude capable of growing to such an extent" Replied the trader with a serious expression "Whatever's burning over there, it was man-made"

The group looked at the smoke column for a short moment before Lily's face suddenly paled upon coming to a concerning realization that the Weathertop was in the same direcction.

"Hey, isn't that the place where Angela and the others made their base?" She asked with a ghastly expression

"Oh shit, you're right! That's coming from the Weathertop!" Asserted Alex with sudden panic.

A sense of dread soon loomed over the group as they could only imagine the situation over at the blue student's base before the sportsman suddenly handed over the bag of fish oil pills to Lily jumped off the Stego and into the water.

"Alex!? What are you doing!?" Questioned Rick while as he and everyone looked at Alex.

"I'll go and have a look to see if the Weathertop is okay, you guys head back to Fredderick's base and use the Parasaur to meet me there!" He said while looking at the group.

"Wait!" Interjected the sailor before jumping down into the water.

"Rick, I have to go!" Replied the sportsman.

"Yes, you do!" Asserted Rick "And I'm going with you! So shut up and don't argue!"

Alex looked at him for a moment or two before nodding in agreement and looking at Jordan.

"I'm sorry Jordan, but do you think you guys can make it back on your own?" He asked.

"Don't worry about us, boys. Just hurry up and go!" Replied the trader with both hands on the reins of the saddle.

With those words Alex and Rick then turned around before swimming to the shore on the other side as Jordan urged the Stego to move faster. The moment he got out of the water the sportsman began to dash through the shores as fast as they could, dodging creatures, jumping over rocks, pushing vegetation and bushes aside, crunching branches as he stepped over and breathing heavily. The growing unease in his mind overshadowing any possible feeling of exhaustion right now.

"(Come on, come on, come on!)" Thought Alex to himself while moving as fast as he could faster "Shit! Please, be okay! Please!"

With a body drenched in water and sweat, leaves stuck over his clothes and the feeling of his heartbeat echoing in his ears Alex kept moving as fast as his legs could carry him. So fast he was that even Rick could barely keep up before reaching one of the slopes that served as an entryway to the plateau. As he and the others had feared, the smoke was indeed coming from the Pleateau, and much to his horror the first thing both men saw was exactly the one they feared the most.

A raging fire was coming right from within the walls of the base of the blue students, the faint sounds of multiple voices yelling echoing in the wind.

"Oh shit, no!"

Upon running towards it Alex noticed the thatch structures burning and steadily crumbling down with each crackling sound, students running about in a panic as they kept tossing water from stone bowls and bottles at the flames in a vain attempt to stop them while a few others attempted to carry the wounded to safety, many of them crying or moaning in pain as a few others sat down on the grass.

While looking around for Angela the sportsman eventually spotted Sally helping to carry a wounded student closer to the front entrance.

"Hey, Sally!" He called out while running towards her, whose expression was one of shock upon seeing him "What the hell happened here!? Where's Angela!?"

"A-Angela...Angela's..." Replied the girl with a frightened expression and a difficulty to speak at the moment.

The student's words were shaky and her eyes teary, which only served to make him fear the worst outcome before both of them turned their heads to see the flames consuming the meeting house becoming more intense.

Alex quickly let go of Sally and ran up to the group of students attempting to put it out and tried to help them control the fires while Rick helped carry the wounded out of the base.

Despite their best attempts the wrathful force of nature proved unrelenting, forcing everyone to back away as the houses crumbled down to the ground and the whole base turned into a raging inferno. After a couple of hours all that remained was nothing but a smoldering pile of pitch-black embers.

"I-Is it over?" Asked Sally as she saw Alex walking up to her again with a more exhausted expression.

"Yeah..." He replied "The whole place burned down to the ground but at least the fires didn't spread to the walls"

Looking at the base Alex felt like the walls, though damaged in a few spots, would still provide some safety to the blue students. They would need to rebuild the thatch structures but from the look of things that was the least of their concerns.

Over half of the blue students were injured, some quite severely. Yet none of the injuries included burns but rather cuts, bites, stab and even gunshot wounds.

"Hey, what the hell happened here?" Questioned Rick while looking at Sally.

The blue student remained silent at first before finally speaking up with a shaky voice.

"We...We got attacked by a group of pe-people with guns" She said while wrapping her arms around herself "They came out of nowhere and started attacking and killing everyone"

Both men looked around at the injured and saw that, unfortunately so, a couple of students were indeed dead and others were already on the brink of death from their injuries.

"They called themselves the black raptor company and...And the woman leading them threatened to kill everyone unless we handed over the artifacts..." Continued Sally "And then Angela...Angela...!"

"What? What happened to Angela?" Asked Alex while getting closer to the teary-eyed Sally "Sally, what happened to Angela?"

"She sacrificed herself..."

Upon turning their heads the sportsman and the sailor saw Milly sitting down with her knees up to face level against the wall. She was just a few steps away from them and her clothes were stained with blood. Just like her friend and many others she seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Questioned Alex.

"That woman, it was the same one we saw in the cave" Explained the red-headed student "She kept telling us to hand you and the other artifacts over, but since no one knew where to find you she got pissed off and started killing people...Or at least she tried before Angela made a deal with her"

"Angela convinced them to take her as a hostage and not hurt anyone else in exchange" Added Sally while sobbing "But even then they set fire to the houses and took our food before leaving! Even though they took Angela...!"

Sally's speech broke more and more until she eventually started crying from frustration rather than fear or sadness.

Shortly afterwards Lily and Jordan arrived to the scene riding atop Parasauruses. The purple flower was quick to hurry up to Sally's side and attempt to comfort her while the trader looked at the destroyed base and injured students.

"Oh dear goodness. What a mess" Theorized Jordan with one hand on his chin and the other on his elbow "Did they get attacked by bandits?"

"No, it was the black Raptor company" Answered Alex while looking at them "They raided the Weathertop and kidnapped Angela before setting the whole place on fire"

"No way!" Said Lily with widened eyes

"But why did they take Angela?" Wondered Rick

"It seems they were looking for the other artifacts and tried to get some answers out of the blue students" Continued Alex "Maybe they felt Angela knew more than she would admit and took her to try and squeeze more info out of her"

"I wouldn't put it below them. Destroying and killing is as normal to their bunch as eating" Commented Jordan with notable anger "Barbarians, the lot of them!"

"Anyway, we need to focus on helping the injured right now!" Asserted Rick while looking at the students "Some of them need medical attention ASAP"

"I know a trading post that has a doctor in it, I'll go fetch him up" Said the trader while getting back up on the Parasaur "I'll return as fast as I can! Make sure to tend to the wounded on the meanwhile!"

The trio nodded in agreement and quickly began to focus on helping treat the injured students while Jordan hurried back to the Redwoods in search of medical assistance.

Meanwhile, back at the Golden Hesperonis, Sasha and her mercenaries returned back to their base of operations. George dragging a tied up Angela by the arms and shoulder before reaching a prisoner's room and locking her up inside.

"Hey, boss. What'cha planning to do with the chick?" Questioned the second-in-command of the mercenary group while looking at Angela over the door window "If don't think she really knows were to find those weird ass artifacts"

"I agree" Replied Sasha "Even so, if we let word about us capturing her spread out we can use her to lure them out of hiding. For the time being keep an eye on her"

"You want me to do guard duty?" Asked George.

"These dumb bastards don't know how to keep their dicks in their pants, no way in hell I can trust them to keep an eye on a woman" Explained the raptor queen.

The vice-leader of the black raptor company wondered if this decision came about because Sasha was a woman as well as Angela, because it felt like quite an unnecesary hassle to deal with or simply because she wanted to keep her as a stronger bargaining chip if she ever needed to trade her for the artifacts. One way or the other, there was little point to pondering about it. He had a job and that's all there was to it.

At the same time Angela looked at her surroundings. The cell was small, dark and smelled quite bad. The only light source was the one coming from the window in the door, from which she could see the mercenary keeping guard right now.

Although she did her best to try and remain calm, it was impossible to stop her hands from quivering at the fear of the uncertain future lingering ahead of her. In an atempt to control the fear she tried to focus on thinking about the fate of the blue students that remained behind while hoping she might have been able to save as many as she could through this decision.

"(Everyone...Please be okay)" Begged the blue flower within her mind while closing her eyes and curling up against the wall.


End file.
